Deregulation in Anti-terrorism Measures

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) decided to deregulate a rule for working reactors in nuclear power plants to take anti-terrorism measures. While the owners of nuclear power plants have been demanded to build anti-terrorism system in certain period of time, the NRA extended the deadline. The NRA changed its rule with consideration of the government of Japan that promotes resumption of nuclear reactors. 

Nuclear Reactor Regulation Act mandates power companies to build a facility to deal with serious accident, caused by natural disaster or terrorist attack, in the site of nuclear power plant. “When a power company sets up a nuclear reactor for power generation, it needs to obtain permission of NRA with description on necessary facility to deal with an accident of significant damage in reactor core,” Article 43-3-5 of the act says. This regulation was introduced after the severe accident in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011.

That anti-terrorist facility is expected to work for cooling nuclear reactor with remote controlling even in a terrorist attack from aircraft. To prevent terrorist attack, the power company also needs to enclose buildings of nuclear reactor and control room with fence. The control room needs to have hardened doors and windows to block invasion of terrorist. People and vehicles entering the site will strictly be checked by security guard, sensor or camera. It is also recommended that police or coast guard should always be stationed in or around the site.

 

The NRA requires power companies that have nuclear power plant to finish that anti-terrorism security system within five years since the authority approved the plan for constructing the security system. However, there have been only one example out of twelve, in which the power company could meet the requirement for resumption of their reactors. If a power company could not meet the deadline, the reactor needs to be stopped.

 

Some members of the regulation committee argued that the requirement had been too strict. So, the NRA decided to ease the regulation. New rule is to mandate building anti-terrorist security system within five years from starting of commercial power generation. Submission of construction plan for security system is ordinarily be made before commercial operation begins. New rule allows power companies to operate a nuclear reactor without security system against terrorism for five years.

 

Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant of Tohoku Electric Power Company, for example, has a deadline of building anti-terrorist security system at December 2026. With application of new rule, the deadline will be postponed to December 2029. The company has a schedule to finish the construction by 2028. It is possible that Onagawa plant can keep working after December 2026. 

 

NRA showed no reason why nuclear reactor can safely work against terrorist attack for five years. It is likely that the NRA left safety of nuclear power generation behind necessity of power companies and the government of Japan that promotes nuclear resumption as much as possible.

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