Kansai Electric Power Co. has announced it will spend $2.5 billion on safety upgrades, the company announced Monday.
Company president Makoto Yagi said the investment will go toward protecting Kansai's 11 reactors from earthquakes, tsunami and other accidents.
“Though I think we have improved safety to prevent an accident similar to Fukushima, steps to increase safety never end,” Yagi said. “Safety at nuclear plants is our top priority."
Improvements will take approximately four years to complete, and will include a filtered-vent systems, permanent emergency back-up batteries and quake-proof buildings for use as a crisis center in emergencies.
Currently, Kansai's reactors – along with all but one of Japan's 54 sites – are offline due to safety concerns following last year's tragedy at Fukushima. However, Yagi is trying to persuade the Japanese government to allow a restart of some of the company's reactors in the upcoming months.
If given permission, Kansai Electric’s two reactors at its Ohi plant would be the first to resume operation. Economy and Industry Minister Yukio Edano said the No. 3 and 4 reactors at the plant "more or less met our safety standards" and could potentially see a restart to satisfy electricity demands during the summer.