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Japan Plans to Restart Two Units of the Dai Rice Nuclear Power Plant
According to Japanese media reports, Japanese government sources revealed that Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda plans to restart units 3 and 4 of Kansai Electric Power Company's Oi nuclear power plant on the 4th. Noda will discuss with relevant cabinet ministers and formulate tentative safety standards within this week based on lessons learned from the Fukushima nuclear accident. The Japanese government plans to send Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yukio Yukio to Fukui Prefecture on the 8th to explain to the prefectural governor Issei Nishikawa that meeting the tentative safety standards means ensuring the safety of restarting the nuclear power plant and requesting cooperation.Considering that there may be power shortages in the summer, in order to avoid economic stagnation and affecting people's lives, Noda believes that it is necessary to restart the nuclear power plant units while ensuring safety.
Fukui Prefecture plans to decide whether to agree to restart the nuclear power plant after conducting an independent assessment of the tentative safety standards. Regarding the restart of nuclear power plants, the two governors of Kyoto Prefecture and Shiga Prefecture, which are adjacent to Fukui Prefecture, and the mayor of Osaka City, Toru Hashimoto, who is the largest shareholder of Kansai Electric Power, have always opposed the restart of nuclear power plants and requested that they be treated with caution. Restarting nuclear power plants is expected to face opposition. Therefore, there are still many uncertain factors whether a restart can truly be achieved.
Sources revealed that Japan’s Nuclear Safety Institute of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry will submit a tentative safety standard plan on the 5th. Afterwards, Noda, Edano, Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura, and Nuclear Power Plant Accident Manager Hiroshi Hosono will discuss whether the plan is appropriate several times before making a decision. After that, Edano will meet with Kansai Electric Power President Makoto Yagi to discuss the tentative standards.
Noda said in early March on the issue of restarting out-of-service nuclear power plants that in order to achieve a stable supply of electricity in the summer, "operable nuclear power plants will be restarted." Noda said during a consultation on restarting Units 3 and 4 of the Oi Nuclear Power Plant on the 3rd: "From a public point of view, has the safety required for restarting been ensured? We need to make a prudent judgment."
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