The government plan to require all nuclear power reactors to undergo stress tests will push back the expected restart of two reactors at the Genkai nuclear power plant this summer.
The government plan to require all nuclear power reactors to undergo stress tests will push back the expected restart of two reactors at the Genkai nuclear power plant this summer.
Hideo Kishimoto, mayor of Genkai, Saga Prefecture, said July 7 he will retract his decision, made three days earlier, to approve Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s restart plan.
After a prefectural assembly committee session, Kishimoto informed Toshio Manabe, president of Kyushu Electric Power, of the town's policy to retract its decision to approve the restart of the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors.
Kishimoto cited the government plan to conduct stress tests on all nuclear power reactors and the scandal surrounding a Kyushu Electric Power official who had asked employees to send e-mails in support of the restart to a public hearing broadcast on television.
The new safety evaluations, which will verify preparations for earthquakes and tsunami beyond conventional safety standards, were announced by industry minister Banri Kaieda on July 6.
"I'm feeling as if my head is about to explode," Kishimoto said. "The government decided to conduct the stress tests two days after I told Kyushu Electric Power that our town would approve the restart. It means that we are not trusted.
"I feel my judgment was futile."
The two reactors were to be the first restarted since the March 11 Great East Japan Earthquake among those that were shut down for regular inspections when the quake hit.
"I was taken by surprise," Saga Governor Yasushi Furukawa said about the stress tests. "I am wondering why (the government decided to introduce them) at this point."
After he met with Kaieda on June 29, Furukawa said the safety of the reactors at the Genkai plant had been confirmed, signaling his intention to allow the restart.
Furukawa planned to make his final decision as early as mid-July after discussions at the prefectural assembly and confirming the intentions of Prime Minister Naoto Kan. Now that decision is expected to be postponed.
Kaieda emphasized that the government is performing the stress tests to "obtain a further sense of safety."
Furukawa said he is concerned about the flip-flopping government policy on the restarts, although he said the stress tests are designed to secure greater peace of mind.
Officials of other local governments that host nuclear power plants also questioned the government's policy.
"It was a surprise," said Hirohiko Izumida, governor of Niigata Prefecture, which hosts Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant. "The government decided to conduct stress tests after it had already declared the nuclear power plants were safe. What does that mean?"
"This will feed distrust in the administration of nuclear power policies," Izumida said.
Tokihiro Nakamura, governor of Ehime Prefecture, home to Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s Ikata nuclear power plant, questioned why the government did not mention the need for stress tests in early June, when the European Union started performing them on its nuclear power plants.
"We were not provided any information, and we cannot understand how the stress tests are treated and why they are conducted," Nakamura said.
A Hokkaido government official said residents may get confused over the stress tests, which will affect Hokkaido Electric Power Co.'s Tomari nuclear power plant.
A senior official at the Aomori prefectural government compared the decision to introduce stress tests to Kan's sudden request to suspend the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture after previously stating that nuclear power plants are safe.
"The government should act after establishing procedures for conducting things" and not before, the official said.
Tohoku Electric Power Co. operates the Higashidori nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture.
Masaru Hashimoto, governor of Ibaraki Prefecture, home to Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant, showed some understanding of the stress test plan.
"I thought it would be difficult for someone in charge of local affairs to give the green light based only on politicians saying they will take responsibility," Hashimoto said.
Electric power companies are concerned because the stress tests will take several months if they cover a wide range of issues, as do the EU's tests.
Kansai Electric Power Co., which is asking users to reduce their electricity consumption by 15 percent this summer, hoped to ask Kyushu Electric Power to supply electricity after the two reactors at the Genkai plant were restarted.
But now it will be difficult to expect help from Kyushu Electric Power.
Kansai Electric Power operates 11 reactors in Fukui Prefecture. Four are shut down, and two others will be suspended in late July for regular inspections.
Shikoku Electric Power planned to restart the No. 3 reactor at the Ikata nuclear power plant in August after finishing scheduled inspections. But a spokesman acknowledged that a restart will be more difficult due to the stress tests.
A senior official of Tokyo Electric Power said the restarts of nuclear power plants will be delayed nationwide because conventional safety standards will lose some meaning after stress tests are introduced.