With local opposition coming from all sides, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has delayed making a decision on restarting two reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant operated by Kansai Electric Power Co.
With local opposition coming from all sides, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has delayed making a decision on restarting two reactors at the Oi nuclear power plant operated by Kansai Electric Power Co.
The Noda administration initially hoped to resume operations at the plant’s No. 3 and No. 4 reactors, which have been shut down for periodic inspections, in April to avoid an electricity shortage this summer in the Kansai region.
However, the governors of Kyoto and Shiga prefectures have expressed strong opposition to resuming operations without further assurances of the safety of the reactors. The two prefectures border Fukui Prefecture, where the Oi plant is located, and have some parts that lie within a 30-kilometer radius of the nuclear plant.
Noda on April 3 met with Yukio Edano, the minister of economy, trade and industry who oversees the nuclear power industry, as well as two other Cabinet ministers to discuss operations at the Oi plant. They put off their decision on restarting the two reactors.
Edano indicated on April 2 that he personally was not prepared to go ahead with reactor restarts.
"We will not resume operations until we gain a certain level of understanding from local communities and the public,” Edano said at an Upper House Budget Committee session. “At the present time, I am opposed to resuming operations."
He indicated that his sentiment covered the entire nation. "The accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant had a direct and indirect effect on all of Japan."
Edano also touched upon the opposition of the governors of Kyoto and Shiga prefectures, saying, "The understanding of the local communities will not have been obtained unless the understanding of the two governors is obtained."
In another development that could delay the restarts, Osaka city's energy strategy council on April 1 compiled eight conditions for reviewing the standards in the stress tests used in deciding whether to resume operations at the Oi plant.
“Because Osaka city is a major shareholder in Kansai Electric Power, there will be a need to seriously consider their opinion," Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura said at an April 2 news conference.
The delay in making a decision to resume operations at the Oi plant deals another blow to Noda.
Even before he became prime minister last September, Noda said: "The central government has the responsibility to create a structure for the stable supply of electricity. For the time being, the best alternative will be making every effort for the resumption of operations."
More recently, Noda said he was willing to visit local communities that host nuclear plants to meet with officials to gain their understanding.
One reason Noda was eager to resume operations was fear about an electricity shortage in the summer.
Kansai Electric Power has calculated a 13.9-percent shortage in electricity this summer if no nuclear plants are in operation. Operating alternative thermal power plants means higher fuel costs that could translate into higher electric rates. That would, in turn, hurt company management and could lead to a decline in jobs and incomes, ultimately affecting the economy of the entire nation.
Industry ministry officials also wanted to restart the reactors while a nuclear plant was still operating. The only plant now running is in Tomari, Hokkaido, and it is slated to go offline on May 5 for periodic inspections. The concern among ministry officials is that the psychological resistance to resuming operations will be greater if no plants are operating.
The Noda administration may have made matters worse when it initially indicated that the consent of local communities would only cover Fukui Prefecture. That led to an uproar from surrounding regions in the Kansai region.
A March public opinion survey by The Asahi Shimbun found that 57 percent of respondents opposed resuming operations, while only 27 percent approved the move.