NRA: Tsuruga nuclear plant sits on top of fault

Submitted by Asahi Shimbun on
Item Description

Japan's nuclear watchdog has endorsed a panel's conclusion that a seismic fault running underneath an atomic plant in western Japan is active, making the plant's restart virtually impossible.

Translation Approval
Off
Media Type
Layer Type
Archive
Asahi Asia & Japan Watch
Latitude
0
Longitude
0
Location
0,0
Media Creator Username
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Media Creator Realname
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Language
English
Media Date Create
Retweet
Off
English Title
NRA: Tsuruga nuclear plant sits on top of fault
English Description

Japan's nuclear watchdog has endorsed a panel's conclusion that a seismic fault running underneath an atomic plant in western Japan is active, making the plant's restart virtually impossible.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said on May 22 that it agrees with experts that the fault underneath the Tsuruga No. 2 reactor poses a high risk if a major earthquake hits.

Japan prohibits reactors from sitting above active faults. Tsuruga's No. 2 reactor faces scrapping unless its operator provides new data overriding the decision.

The case is a crucial test for the watchdog to prove whether it can resist industry pressure just as the central government moves to restart reactors suspended since the tsunami-caused 2011 Fukushima disaster.

Tsuruga's operator, the Japan Atomic Power Co., has rejected the decision and will continue its own probe.

old_tags_text
a:4:{i:0;s:27:"Tsuruga nuclear power plant";i:1;s:3:"NRA";i:2;s:22:"Japan Atomic Power Co.";i:3;s:35:"Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant";}
old_attributes_text
a:0:{}
Flagged for Internet Archive
Off
URI
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201305220069
Thumbnail URL
https://s3.amazonaws.com/jda-files/AJ201305220070M.jpg