Oi mayor set to OK resumption of operations at nuclear plant

OI, Fukui Prefecture--In rare good news for the central government, Oi Mayor Shinobu Tokioka has signaled his readiness to approve a resumption of operations at the Oi nuclear power plant, according to sources.He is expected to give his approval for the restart of the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Oi plant in a meeting this week with Fukui Governor Issei Nishikawa.The Oi municipal assembly was set to hold a meeting on May 14 of all members to decide whether to allow operations to resume.A majority of assembly members are expected to approve the resumption of operations. At the same time, in their recommendation to be submitted to Tokioka, assembly members are expected to call on the central government to assume responsibility for unified management of the nuclear power plant and to thoroughly implement safety measures.A committee of experts set up by the Fukui prefectural government to examine safety measures from a technological standpoint has effectively ended discussions and is expected to endorse provisional safety standards for nuclear plants that were agreed to by central government officials.Nishikawa is expected to make a final decision on whether to approve resumption of operations at the Oi plant after taking into consideration the views of the committee of experts, the Oi municipal government and the Fukui prefectural assembly.However, Nishikawa has called on the Noda administration to convince the governors of Kyoto and Shiga prefectures to go along with the resumption of operations. The governors of the two prefectures that border Fukui have raised concerns about safety at the Oi plant.Nishikawa has said it was important that Prime Minister Yoshikiho Noda play a leading role in convincing local government leaders. Nishikawa will likely make a final decision after weighing steps taken by central government officials.