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Reactor needs more checks before reopening: IAEA

— Photo: AP

Quake-hit: Black smoke rises from a burning electrical transformer near one of Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Plant’s four reactors after a fire broke out, following a strong earthquake in Kashiwazaki, northwestern Japan, on July 16.

TOKYO: A quake-damaged reactor in northern Japan should stay closed for at least several months while more checks are conducted, said a U.N.-backed team on Friday after concluding an onsite inspection.

The inspection team from the International Atomic Energy Agency made that conclusion after a four-day assessment of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which was damaged by an earthquake last month and remains shut down.

The magnitude-6.8 quake on July 16 killed 11 persons and injured more than 1,000. It also caused malfunctions and leaks at the plant — the world’s largest by capacity — and raised concerns about safety at Japan’s nuclear power stations.

“It’s not something you can do quickly. It was a big earthquake,” Philippe Jamet, who heads the IAEA team, said on Friday after giving Japanese officials a rundown of its findings.

He said further checks must be carried out before the plant can be reopened, and that process could take months.

No immediate concerns

Mr. Jamet added, however, that he had no immediate concerns over the safety of the nuclear plant or damage to the environment.

“None of us were worried on this site. We didn’t feel like there was such a dreadful situation,” he said. The IAEA is to release a preliminary report in several days, with a fuller report expected later.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. has come under fire after revealing hundreds of problems in the quake’s aftermath.

A fire charred an electrical transformer, a small amount of radioactive water leaked into the sea and some 400 barrels of low-level radioactive materials tipped over.

Earlier this week, the operator said some plant workers were also splashed with a small amount of radioactive water while cleaning, but they were wearing protective gear and were not exposed.

TEPCO officials said they had not foreseen such a powerful quake hitting the facility.

Preliminary studies of the surrounding area have shown that a fault line may extend next to, or even directly below, the nuclear power plant.

The Government has since said it planned to overhaul earthquake safety standards at plants across the nation.

In a report on nuclear power released on Friday, the Government stressed the need to address growing public concerns over the safety of nuclear power plants, as well as cover-ups of hundreds of minor problems and illegal repairs conducted at nuclear power facilities across the nation.

Most quake prone

“As one of the world’s most quake-prone nations, it is important for us to achieve earthquake resistance based on the latest scientific knowledge,” the report said. “Safety must be the absolute priority. To avoid misconduct, we should also learn from failures from the past and take precautions to prevent accidents.”

Until last year, Japan had required plants to be built to withstand a 6.5-magnitude quake.

In September, the Government began implementing tougher guidelines, though they have not set a new magnitude level.

Tokyo-based TEPCO has warned that the closure of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, which provides up to 13 per cent of the utility’s total electricity output, could create power shortages for the busy capital in the summer months.

TEPCO will receive emergency electricity from six other power companies and is firing up two thermal power stations to make up for the shortfall, company spokesman Ryo Shimizu said on Friday.

Japan relies heavily on its nuclear programme, which supplies about 30 per cent of its electricity. The country plans to build another 11 reactors by 2017, eventually boosting nuclear power’s share of electricity production to 40 per cent. — AP

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