The Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture formally passed tougher safety checks on Sept. 10, but the plant operator must submit a mountain of paperwork before it can restart its reactors.
The Sendai nuclear plant in Kagoshima Prefecture formally passed tougher safety checks on Sept. 10, but the plant operator must submit a mountain of paperwork before it can restart its reactors.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority’s approval is the first since new safety standards were established following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011. That means safety checks have effectively been completed for a resumption of operations of the Sendai plant’s No. 1 and No. 2 reactors.
As the next step, Kyushu Electric Power Co., the operator of the Sendai plant, will have to submit to the NRA construction plans that include designs of equipment and the company's new safety regulations detailing operation procedures and accident responses.
The utility is expected to submit that paperwork after late September, or about four months later than initially planned.
After those documents are certified, another month or two will be needed to inspect the equipment.
The time needed to complete all those procedures means the resumption of reactor operations is not expected until early next year.
Kyushu Electric will also have to gain the consent of local governments. The Satsuma-Sendai municipal government and the Kagoshima prefectural government have both indicated a willingness to go along with resumption of operations.
However, concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of the prefectural and municipal government’s evacuation plans in the event of an emergency at the plant. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to dispatch employees to the local governments to strengthen central government involvement in the process.
The NRA on July 16 announced that the Sendai nuclear plant’s two reactors met the new tougher safety standards and gathered public opinions over the next 30 days.
On Sept. 10, the NRA released a summary of the 17,819 opinions submitted. Those opinions were the basis for a partial correction of wording in the safety document as well as adding items that were not initially included.
Kyushu Electric may have to address other potential problems.
The utility has said it would use the current observation system to detect signs of a major volcanic eruption in the vicinity of the Sendai plant. However, volcanologists have raised opposition to Kyushu Electric’s policy.
The NRA has asked experts to consider the issue more thoroughly, and Kyushu Electric may be asked to take additional measures against possible eruptions.
Twelve other nuclear plants with a total of 18 reactors have submitted applications for safety checks to allow for a resumption of operations. The NRA intends to use the Sendai process as a model case in dealing with the other applications.