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Two years to start Japan's giant nuke plant: expert
Tokyo (AFP) Dec 1, 2007 The world's largest nuclear plant in central Japan, which was shut in July after a major earthquake, will not be able to resume operation for at least two years, a top government expert said Saturday. The seven-reactor Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, a crucial source of electricity for the Tokyo region 250 kilometres (150 miles) to the south, suffered a fire, a small radioactive leak and other problems after the July 16 tremor. "Restarting the plant won't be able to take place for a minimum of two years and we will start first with only two or three reactors," said Akira Sakakibara, deputy director of the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. "Again yesterday, we noticed that one of the control bars wouldn't come out once it was inserted into the reactor. So we will need to continue in-depth study of the plant," he told a symposium held at the French embassy in Tokyo. Control bars are used to launch or stop the nuclear fission process. Sakakibara said that the plant's three latest-generation advanced boiling water reactors would likely be the first to resume operations. The July 16 earthquake registered 6.8 on the Richter scale and killed 14 people, although none of the deaths was linked to the nuclear facility. Hoping to ease concerns, the government invited inspectors from the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, who concluded that damage was limited and did not affect the reactors' safety. But Sakakibara said that thousands of items of equipment were being verified to ensure the safety of the plant, which is run by Tokyo Electric Power Co., the world's biggest private electricity provider. Japan experiences about 20 percent of the world's major earthquakes but is trying to increase its use of nuclear power as Asia's largest economy has virtually no natural energy resources. Japan relies on nuclear power for about one-third of its needs and is re-evaluating the earthquake protection in place for all 55 nuclear reactors in operation. Sakakibara said that thermal power plants were compensating for the absence of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. "But this is bad for global warming," he admitted. Related Links Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
French, Italian energy groups reach deal on nuclear cooperation
Nice, France (AFP) Nov 30, 2007French energy group EDF and Italian counterpart Enel said Friday they had reached agreement to enable Enel to take part in the development of a third generation nuclear reactor in France. |
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