TSURUGA, FUKUI PREF. – Kansai Electric Power Co. is making arrangements to conduct special checks that wold enable two reactors at its Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture to operate beyond the operational limit of 40 years, sources said.
Under tighter safety standards adopted after the 2011 start of the nuclear disaster at Tepco’s Fukushima No. 1 plant, the operating life of reactors was limited to 40 years in principle. Special checks are needed in order for reactors to operate beyond 40 years.
If Kepco decides to conduct special checks on reactors 1 and 2 at the Takahama plant, it would be the first utility in the country to do so.
The utility, which serves western Japan, is expected to make a decision by the end of this year, the sources said on Wednesday.
Among a total of 48 commercial reactors in Japan — all of which are currently offline amid safety concerns in light of the Fukushima crisis — seven are around 40 years old, including the Takahama reactors and reactors 1 and 2 at Kansai Electric’s Mihama complex, both of which are located in Fukui on the Sea of Japan coast.
For the seven reactors to operate beyond the 40-year limit, their operators must apply for examinations between next April and July so the government’s approval process can be completed by the July 2016 deadline. Extensions of up to 20 years are possible for reactors that clear the special checks.
The checks on older reactors are stricter and costlier than regular checks. But Kepco appears to have judged that reactors 1 and 2 at the Takahama complex could substantially cut its power generation costs, the sources said.
Regarding its other reactors, Kansai Electric has applied to the Nuclear Regulation Authority for safety checks to restart reactors 3 and 4 at the Takahama plant and units 3 and 4 at its Oi plant, also in Fukui Prefecture.
As reactors 3 and 4 at the Takahama plant have already cleared regulations for tsunami and earthquake resistance, the utility expects their safety data to be partially applicable to units 1 and 2, the sources said.
Both pressurized-water reactors with capacity of 826,000 kW each, unit 1 began operation in November 1974 and unit 2 started up in November 1975. Both were taken offline in 2011.
Kansai Electric is considering decommissioning reactors 1 and 2 at the Mihama plant, as over 40 years have passed since the commencement of their operations.
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