ID :
196593
Fri, 07/22/2011 - 14:56
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http://m.oananews.org//node/196593
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Utilities ordered to enhance data credibility before 'stress tests'
TOKYO, July 22 Kyodo - Japan's nuclear regulatory agency on Friday ordered utilities to take steps to enhance the credibility of data linked to nuclear reactors before aiming to pass the so-called nuclear ''stress tests,'' as it found data errors in a 2009 Kyushu Electric Power Co. report over one of its reactor's quake-resistance.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told Kyushu Electric to work out preventive steps by July 31, while ordering other utilities to report by Aug. 22 whether they have similar errors or have arrangements to prevent such incidents in place.
The latest orders may affect the restart of idled reactors undergoing regular checkups, as utilities need to clear the first round of the two-stage stress tests to apply for restarting as part of efforts to allay public concerns over nuclear safety in the wake of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
''We plan to evaluate the outcome of the stress tests (conducted by plant operators) after we confirm that they have finished acting in line with our orders,'' an agency official told a press conference.
The errors found in Kyushu Electric's report on the No. 3 reactor at the Genkai plant, which involved data on the weight of the reactor's building, basically did not affect the outcome of the overall earthquake-proof safety assessment, the agency said.
But it added that the blunder was ''extremely regrettable from the viewpoint of ensuring safety.''
The company has to resubmit the quake safety assessment report by the end of October.
Under Japan's stress tests modeled after a nuclear safety review conducted in the European Union, utilities would basically study the extent to which key installations would be able to withstand the impact of extreme natural disasters on a scale greater than expected without experiencing damage in the reactor core.
The first phase of the assessment would lead the government to decide whether to allow the restart of reactors that are idled for checkups, whereas the second-stage assessment will determine whether nuclear power plants should remain in operation.
Utilities are asked to report the outcome of their analysis, which would be checked by the agency as well as the Nuclear Safety Commission, another oversight body.
The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency told Kyushu Electric to work out preventive steps by July 31, while ordering other utilities to report by Aug. 22 whether they have similar errors or have arrangements to prevent such incidents in place.
The latest orders may affect the restart of idled reactors undergoing regular checkups, as utilities need to clear the first round of the two-stage stress tests to apply for restarting as part of efforts to allay public concerns over nuclear safety in the wake of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.
''We plan to evaluate the outcome of the stress tests (conducted by plant operators) after we confirm that they have finished acting in line with our orders,'' an agency official told a press conference.
The errors found in Kyushu Electric's report on the No. 3 reactor at the Genkai plant, which involved data on the weight of the reactor's building, basically did not affect the outcome of the overall earthquake-proof safety assessment, the agency said.
But it added that the blunder was ''extremely regrettable from the viewpoint of ensuring safety.''
The company has to resubmit the quake safety assessment report by the end of October.
Under Japan's stress tests modeled after a nuclear safety review conducted in the European Union, utilities would basically study the extent to which key installations would be able to withstand the impact of extreme natural disasters on a scale greater than expected without experiencing damage in the reactor core.
The first phase of the assessment would lead the government to decide whether to allow the restart of reactors that are idled for checkups, whereas the second-stage assessment will determine whether nuclear power plants should remain in operation.
Utilities are asked to report the outcome of their analysis, which would be checked by the agency as well as the Nuclear Safety Commission, another oversight body.
