Japan’s nuclear regulator has approved draft legislation to allow commercial nuclear power plants to operate longer, in a split decision in which one of the five commissioners dissented.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority, responding to a new government policy to abolish the current 60-year operating limit for reactors, adopted a new system in which additional operating extensions can granted every 10 years after 30 years of service.
No maximum limit is specified. The NRA also adopted a draft revision of the reactor regulation law for approval by parliament.
It is a major change from the current 40-year operating limit with a possible one-time extension of up to 20 years, a rule that was introduced as part of stricter safety standards adopted after the 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant disaster.
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