Chubu Electric Power Co. may decommission two long-suspended reactors in the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station in Shizuoka Prefecture and build a new alternative reactor there, sources said Saturday.
Chubu Electric wants to decommission the light-water No. 1 and No. 2 reactors because the replacement of parts and the cost of necessary reinforcement work to quake-proof them are expected to weigh on the utility's management, they said.
The decommissioning of a nuclear reactor requires government approval.
The No. 1 reactor has been shut down since November 2001 following a pipe rupture accident, and the No. 2 reactor has been halted since February 2004 due to regular checkups.
Under the plan, Chubu Electric will complete measures to decommission the two reactors, including the removal of radioactive materials and the demolition of the facilities, by around 2035.
The utility plans to build what will be the No. 6 reactor in the power station in the city of Omaezaki, hoping to start operations in 2018 at the earliest, the sources said.
Since the No. 6 reactor will probably be capable of generating electricity tantamount to the combined output of the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, or 1.38 million kw, the overall capacity in the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station will be maintained, they added.
But a formal decision on the plan is likely to take time because fresh safety concerns among local residents over the decommissioning of the two reactors and the construction of a new one are expected to emerge, observers say.