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Article

6 Apr 2012

Author:
NHK Modern Close Up [Japan]

Closer look at Kansai Electric's nuclear power plants highlights safety concerns upon its upcoming reopening [Japan]

Title and summary translation from original Japanese provided by Business & Human Rights Resource Centre] Kansai Electric continues with plans to resume operations on their 3rd and 4th units. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency even gave the green light for explanations to be given to residents. But then, an expert pointed out that it is not enough to check only one section, which cast doubts on the actual test, and the safety concerns could not be dispelled. Kansai Electric installed four emergency diesel generators in an elevated area, the building had a 13cm-thick watertight steel door that was placed to prevent a tsunami break-in. The first assessment simulation showed that, what initially fell down against a 4.6-meter tsunami prior to providing countermeasures, could now stand up to 11.4-meters. But after further tests many problems became apparent, such that it cannot hold up against impact from floating objects (boats, cars, household objects, etc.) and that it could not determine the complex movement of the tsunami. The Fukushima accident still has not been fully verified and the country's checking system is still the same as it was before the accident. This is also the reason why the locals who live near the Ohi (Ooi) nuclear reactor cannot shed their concerns. There are rows of ryokans and guest houses for the people who work at the Ohi (Ooi) Town near the nuclear reactor, but they have not had a reservation since the nuclear reactor was halted. A manager at one of the ryokans was at a loss of words as he said, "Its troubling that the income is scarce, but I'm also concerned about the nuclear reactor, and don't know what to say." Some say that even if all 30-points of the safety policy are covered they would still be concerned, and others say that it could go on forever. It's hard to draw the line, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. That decision will have to balance the risk from accidents with regional income and energy production.