Japan nuclear watchdog backs restart of two reactors
- POSTED: 10 Sep 2014 14:35
- UPDATED: 10 Sep 2014 17:22
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/japan-nuclear-watchdog/1355142.html
Japan's nuclear watchdog Wednesday (Sep 10) gave the green light for two reactors to restart, a year after the nation shut down its last unit, but the operator still has to persuade local communities they are safe.
TOKYO: Japan's nuclear watchdog Wednesday (Sep 10) gave the green light for two reactors to restart, a year after the nation shut down its last unit, but the operator still has to persuade local communities they are safe.
The go-ahead from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) comes after it issued a more than 400-page safety report in July, saying two reactors at the Sendai plant in southern Japan were safe to switch back on, and follows a month-long public consultation period.
After having considered around 17,000 public comments that it received, the regulator confirmed it believed the two units met required standards and gave its written approval.
But any restart is unlikely before the year end as the operator, Kyushu Electric Power, is also required to get two more NRA approvals for other facilities at the site.
More challenging, perhaps, is gaining the consent of communities living near the plant in southwestern Kagoshima prefecture, who must sign off on the restarts before they can happen.
Much of the job of convincing a sceptical public will fall on the shoulders of new industry minister Yuko Obuchi, a 40-year-old mother-of-two with impeccable political pedigree.
"If people say they are worried, I think it is only natural. If you are a mother, I think it is a kind of feeling that everyone has," she had said soon after being appointed as the nation's first female industry minister.
"The central government must offer a full explanation to these sentiments."
She has highlighted the importance of earning the "understanding of hosting communities", who may be hostile to the prospect of firing up nearby reactors, despite beefed up safety rules.
The minister has reportedly dispatched five central government officials to help local bodies in Kagoshima draw up evacuation plans in case of an accident.
Japan nuclear watchdog backs restart of two reactors POSTED: 10...
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