While the news was light from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi last week, developments nationally continued to hint at the effect the accidents at the nuclear plant will have on the future of Japanese nuclear power.
Recent decisions related to the Tokyo Electric Power Co. plant include:
New Regulatory Chief: No More Restarts Before Summer
As Japan launched its new Nuclear Regulation Authority Wednesday, its leader Shunichi Tanaka said the country's idled reactors will stay offline until new regulations are completed next summer. Only two of the country's reactors are now in operation. The rest were idled by post-Fukushima political opposition following outages for maintenance and other reasons. The Mainichi newspaper reported that it is expected to take 10 months for the new agency to approve the regulations governing further restarts.
Existing Plant Construction Can Continue
Construction at three new reactors that halted after the accidents will be allowed to resume, Industry Minister Yukio Edano said Saturday. Chugoku Electric Power Co.'s Shimane 3 is 93.6 percent complete, the Asahi Shimbun reported. While a new Electric Power Development Co. plant in Oma is 37.6 percent complete, and TEPCO's Higashidori 1 plant is 9.7 percent complete. While the reactors will be required to comply with the country's new regulatory standards, Edano and the newly formed NRA indicated work on them could continue while the regulations are drafted.
Government Backtracks on Nuclear Phaseout Plan
Japan's Cabinet declined to adopt the strictest language of a plan to abandon nuclear power, endorsed by a panel last week. The energy plan originally aimed for an end to nuclear power in Japan by 2030. That specific target was dropped, although Cabinet ministers agreed to pursue a nuclear phaseout while having what the Daily Yomiuri translated as "responsible discussions with related municipalities and the international community on the matter regarding the new strategy, and flexibly carry out consistent verification and reexamination, while gaining public understanding." The plan would also restrict reactors' operating lives to 40 years while prohibiting new reactors not already under construction.