Niigata Gov. Inspects Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Plant

Niigata, Nov. 14 (Jiji Press)–Niigata Governor Hideyo Hanazumi inspected Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station on Friday, before making a decision on whether to approve the restart of a reactor at the plant in the central Japan prefecture. During his first inspection of the plant in seven years, Hanazumi mainly checked safety measures for the plant’s No. 6 reactor, which TEPCO aims to put back to operation. Hanazumi is expected to decide by the end of this month whether to greenlight the reactor’s restart, based on the effectiveness of the safety measures and the results of a recent survey on local residents’ attitudes toward the restart. The No. 6 and No. 7 reactors at the nuclear power plant, which straddles the city of Kashiwazaki and the village of Kariwa, have cleared a Nuclear Regulation Authority screening required for the restart, and technical preparations to put the No. 6 reactor back online were completed at the end of last month. Accompanied by those including TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa, the governor inspected a drill for setting up power cables in the event of the loss of power sources at the building for the No. 6 reactor. “I was able to feel firsthand that the safety awareness (among TEPCO staff) is high,” Hanazumi told reporters after the visit. He did not make specific comments on whether he would approve the restart. In making his decision, Hanazumi is seen also taking into account opinions from a Friday meeting with leaders of seven Niigata municipalities within a 30-kilometer radius of the nuclear power plant, including the cities of Nagaoka and Ojiya. Municipalities in areas within 30 kilometers from a nuclear plant are required to draw up evacuation plans for a possible accident. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]