Tsuruga No. 2 N-Reactor Fails to Gain OK for Restart; JAPC President Intends to Continue Investigation

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:47 JST, August 3, 2024

Japan’s nuclear watchdog has endorsed the conclusion of its safety screening team that the restart of the No. 2 reactor at the Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC) Tsuruga nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture should be denied.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) approved the conclusion on Friday and ordered the team to compile the results.

With the NRA denying the JAPC’s request to continue the screening, it will be the first time the NRA will reject an application to restart a reactor since the agency was established in 2012.

The JAPC has not adequately proven that there are no active faults directly under the No. 2 reactor building capable of causing an earthquake in the future.

On July 26, the NRA concluded that the No. 2 reactor did not meet regulatory safety standards under the new rules for restarting the reactor.

The five members of the NRA heard the opinion of JAPC President Mamoru Muramatsu at the meeting on that day.

Muramatsu stated that additional drilling and other investigations would be conducted over the next year or more, and that he would do what he could to clarify the situation.

NRA Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka brought the series of screenings to a close by stating, “The plan [for the additional investigation] lacks specificity and the period of the investigation is unclear.” 

The NRA is expected to formally approve the report compiled by the screening team in autumn.

After the meeting, Muramatsu stressed to reporters that there is no change in the company’s goal of restarting the reactor. He expressed his intention to reapply for the examination without decommissioning the No. 2 reactor.