IAEA to Assess Kashiwazaki-Kariwa N-Plant Safety

Tokyo, Jan. 7 (Jiji Press)--The International Atomic Energy Agency will send a team to assess safety at the No. 6 and No. 7 reactors of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said Wednesday. METI Minister Yoichi Miyazawa and IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano agreed at their meeting the same day on the sending of the assessment team to the central Japan nuclear plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. <9501>. TEPCO requested the IAEA evaluation, with which the utility aims to strengthen safety measures for the plant. It will be the first time for the IAEA to assess the safety of a Japanese nuclear power station since the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the triple meltdown at TEPCO's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. TEPCO will be evaluated not only on its countermeasures for earthquakes and tsunami but also on organization systems such as its operational management. The power supplier thinks a third-party assessment of its efforts to improve safety of the plant will make it easier for the company to obtain local consent on the restart of the idled reactors. Previously the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant was assessed by the IAEA in 2004 and 2006. At the meeting with Amano, Miyazawa expressed willingness to encourage other nuclear plant operators to receive IAEA evaluations. END