Nuclear Fuels Reloaded

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced that it started reloading nuclear fuels in the reactor #7 of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant for the first time since the severe accident in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011. Although it has not received an approval from local governments, TEPCO proceeded to the reload for restarting the operation of the plant. It is still doubted that the company, which caused unprecedented nuclear disaster in Fukushima, is reliable for handling a nuclear plant.

According to a news report, Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) approved the reload of nuclear fuels in April 15th. TEPCO loaded one of the eight hundred and seventy-two nuclear fuel rods, which had been stocked in a pool, which was placed in the reactor. It takes a half month to complete the process. After that, the company will examine how the related devices are working and pull out some control rods, even not reaching a criticality.

 

TEPCO has not achieved approvals from local community on its decision of reloading nuclear fuels. It is unusual for a power company to load nuclear fuels without any approval of residents around the power plant. After the government introduced a new regulation rule in 2013, all the twelve nuclear power plants that restarted operation achieved the approval from local community beforehand.

 

Reactor #7 stopped its operation in August, 2011, five months after Fukushima accident. While TEPCO hoped early restart of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant, prolonged examination of NRC delayed the restart. TEPCO temporarily removed nuclear fuels from the reactors in October, 2016. After the exam finished in October 2020, TEPCO has been waiting for the approval from local community for restarting the operation.

 

Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant is one of the largest nuclear power plants in the world with 8.2 million kilowatt of output. TEPCO expects resumption of the plant to improve its financial efficiency. It estimates that the plant can improve its annual balance by ¥110 billion.

 

However, TEPCO has not achieved fundamental confidence from local community. NRA found insufficiency of anti-terrorism measures of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa several times, causing operation stop order in April, 2021. The order was lifted as late as last December.

The great earthquake in Noto Peninsula brought further concern on the safety of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. In the Noto earthquake, the roads were broken by the quake and heavy traffic jam disturbed people to evacuate from tsunami. There are nine cities or towns within 30 kilometer from the plant, which have about 432 thousand of evacuees in case of a disaster.

 

The government of Japan has been asking the governor of Niigata, Hideyo Hanazumi, to issue an approve for restarting Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. Hanazumi has indicated to have a referendum to make his decision to approve the restart of reactors or not.

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