[Sustain] Fwd: FW: 19 June Green Action Press Release

Wed Jun 19 20:16:37 PDT 2013

Japanese NGO's ask some good questions of their Nuclear Regulatory
Authority about the safety of Japan's continuing to operate reactors.

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	FW: 19 June Green Action Press Release
Date: 	Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:05:01 +0000
From: 	Mary Olson <maryo at nirs.org>
To: 	nirs at sanonofre.com <nirs at sanonofre.com>

I am sure some of you are on the list from Aileen, but I thought I would pass on this item since it is the attention of NGO's after the permanent shut-down of a site on the remaining operating site. CA situation is not identical (thank goodness) but it is parallel. 

Mary

Mary Olson maryo at nirs.org 
NIRS Southeast
828-252-8409 / cell 828-242-5621

-----Original Message-----
From: Aileen Mioko Smith [mailto:amsmith at gol.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, June 19, 2013 2:53 AM
To: Aileen Mioko Smith
Subject: 19 June Green Action Press Release

To fellow colleagues from Aileen Mioko Smith (Green Action, Japan):

For immediate release: 19 June 2013

Japan’s Two Operating Reactors won’t meet New Post-Fukushima Standards Will the Nuclear Regulation Authority Still Allow Them to Operate?

Attached is the URL of the press release:
http://greenaction-japan.org/internal/130619_GA_release.pdf

**Notification of a meeting with the government on this issue taking place in Tokyo on Friday, 21 June is at the bottom of this email.

Text of press release:

Kyoto, Japan----The Nuclear Regulation Authority today approved new 
post-Fukushima regulatory standards. The standards will now be sent to 
the Cabinet for approval. They are scheduled to take effect on 8 July.

Will the NRA ignore compliance with its new standards from day one by 
allowing the two currently operating nuclear reactors in Japan, Ohi 
Units 3 and 4 to continue to operate, thus setting the precedent for 
further non-compliance? 

At issue is whether Japan has learned the lessons of the Fukushima 
Daiichi nuclear power plant accident and whether Japan’s nuclear power 
will really be “the safest in the world” as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 
claims. 

Japanese NGOs yesterday sent questions to the Nuclear Regulation 
Authority (NRA) through a House of Councillors Diet member demanding 
answers on whether the NRA intends to comply with its own new 
regulatory standards. The questions are to be answered by the Nuclear 
Regulatory Agency on Friday, 21 June. (See below for English 
translation of the questions and time/location of the meeting.)

The final results of the review on Ohi Units 3 and 4 concerning whether 
or not these two operating reactors will be allowed to operate after 
the new regulatory standards take effect will probably be announced at 
the weekly NRA meeting on Wednesday, 26 June. It has been reported that 
the NRA will approve the reactors’ continued operation until their 
scheduled outage in September.

----
Questions Concerning Compliance of Ohi Units 3 and 4 to New Regulatory 
Standards

The following questions were submitted on 18 June to the Nuclear 
Regulation Authority (NRA) via the Mizuho Fukushima Diet office by four 
NGOs.

To the Nuclear Regulation Authority:

1.	Concerning the conference room located at Units 1 and 2 which is to 
serve as the earthquake-resistant control room for Ohi Units 3 and 4
The earthquake-resistant control room for Ohi Units 3 and 4 (maximum 
capacity 1000 persons) to be located on the south side of the intake 
outlet of the Ohi nuclear power plant site will only become operational 
in the autumn of 2015. In the meantime, Kansai Electric states that it 
will use a conference room located at the Unit 1 and 2 site.

（１）	The conference room at the Unit 1 and 2 site which is to serve 
as the center for emergency operations in the event of a serious 
earthquake is located right next to Units 3 and 4. Isn’t this too 
close to be functional? Is it not correct that the earthquake-resistant 
control room should be located at some distance from the reactors?
（２）	The conference room is approximately 105 square meters with 
capacity for 38 persons. The sole equipment to monitor the state of the 
Unit 3 and 4 reactors and other equipment under an emergency is one 
personal computer. Is this sufficient for full emergency response?
（３）	The earthquake-resistant control room facility is to be 
completed around the autumn of 2015. Without such a facility in place, 
Ohi Units 3 and 4 do not meet the requirement under the new regulatory 
standard. Is that correct?

2.	Concerning the Date of Sea-Wall (Tsunami Breakwater) Completion at 
Ohi Nuclear Power Plant Site
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has stated that completion of a 
sea-wall (tsunami breakwater) is a prerequisite for applying to restart 
nuclear power plants.
The breakwater for the Ohi site is not scheduled for completion until 
March 2014. This means the Ohi plant site does not meet the requirement 
to apply for restart under the new regulatory standard. Is that correct?

3.	Concerning the Investigation of the Shattered Zone (Earthquake 
Fault) Under the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant
The Nuclear Regulation Authority( NRA) states that nuclear power plant 
sites currently undergoing investigation of their shattered zones 
(earthquake faults) are required to have their investigation completed 
(conclusion reached) before they can apply for permission to restart.
The Ohi F-6 shattered zone (earthquake fault) on-site investigation is 
still on-going and experts undertaking the investigation have not 
reached a conclusion. Because of this, is it correct that Ohi does not 
meet the new safety regulation?

4.	Concerning Vent with Filter
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) states that for PWR’s, 
completion of a vent with filter is a prerequisite for applying for 
restarts.
The vent with filter at the Ohi plant will be completed in March of 
2016. Because of this, Ohi does not meet the new regulatory standards. 
Is that correct?

5.	Concerning Basic Earthquake Ground Motion
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has sought that Kansai Electric 
“establish a  earthquake motion based on 3 earthquake faults 
interacting.” However, Kansai Electric continues to use as reference 
the basic earthquake ground motion based on 2 earthquake faults 
interacting and stated a 3-earthquake fault analysis was only “just in 
case.” The utility came out with a new (self-created) category called 
“earthquake ground motion for the purpose of the review.”

Since Kansai Electric refuses to meet the demand of the Nuclear 
Regulation Authority to establish a basic earthquake ground motion 
based on a 3-earthquake fault interaction, this means it does not meet 
the new regulatory standards. Is that correct?

6.	The Ohi Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 & 4 do not meet the new 
regulatory standards, the NRA should therefore require them to be shut 
down
It cannot be said that the Ohi nuclear power plant meets the new 
regulatory standards when it does not even meet the demands made by the 
NRA as indicated above. Because of this, should not the NRA demand that 
the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant site immediately cease operations?

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
The above questions were submitted by:
Green Action
Mihama-no-Kai
Lawsuit Group to Shut Down the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant 
The Nuclear Regulation Authority Citizen Watchdog

For Japanese original of questions see:
http://greenaction-japan.org/internal/130618_question.pdf

----
Meeting With the Nuclear Regulatory Agency Concerning the Ohi Nuclear 
Power Plant’s New Regulatory Standards Compliance
(The meeting will be held in Japanese.)
 “The Ohi Nuclear Power Plant Site does not Meet New Regulatory 
Standards. Shut It Down Now!”

Date: Friday, 21 June
Time: 16:15~17:45 (pre-meeting of citizens begins at 15:45. Media 
welcome. Room opens at 15:30.)
Place: House of Councillors Diet Office Building
Room B103
Passes will be issued in the lobby of the House of Councillors Office 
Building starting at 15:20
Contact: Aileen Mioko Smith Tel: +81-90-3620-9251
Fee: 500 yen (to help support citizens travelling from other areas of 
Japan.)

Meeting organized by Green Action, Mihama-no-Kai, Lawsuit Group to Shut 
Down the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant, and, The Nuclear Regulation Authority 
Citizen Watchdog

------------------
Aileen Mioko Smith
Executive Director
Green Action
Suite 103, 22-75 Tanaka Sekiden-cho
Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8203 Japan
Tel: +81-75-701-7223  
Fax: +81-75-702-1952
Cell:+81-90-3620-9251
email: amsmith at gol.com
URL: http://www.greenaction-japan.org/
http://fukushima.greenaction-japan.org/

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