http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20040813_58.html Japan's Kansai Electric to Shut Reactors
Aug. 13, 2004 � By Masayuki Kitano TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Kansai Electric Power Co. said it would gradually shut down all of its nuclear reactors for safety checks starting from Friday, four days after the deadliest nuclear industry accident in Japanese history. Four workers were killed on Monday when super-hot non-radioactive steam gushed from a ruptured pipe at the company's Mihama nuclear plant, 320 km (200 miles) west of Tokyo. The government of Fukui Prefecture, where the plant is located, had asked for inspections to be carried out on all of the company's 11 reactors. Kansai Electric said procedures would begin on Friday to shut down three units. The reactor where the accident occurred is already closed while two others are shut for regular maintenance. Japan's second-largest utility, which serves the heavily industrialized region around the city of Osaka, said there would be no power shortage resulting from the phased closures. "Normally it would take about six weeks to carry out the checks," Kansai Electric spokesman Yonezo Tsujikura said at a news conference in Tokyo. Kansai Electric said it would restart two oil-fired generators to help make up for lost nuclear production. The company said the closures could cost it the equivalent of about $90 million, depending on the duration. So far, only Kansai Electric has said it will shut nuclear reactors in the wake of the accident, which has heightened public mistrust of the scandal-prone industry. Other utilities said they had no plans halt their reactors. Resource-poor Japan, which has 52 nuclear reactors, relies on atomic energy for over a third of its electricity needs. Kansai Electric said on Tuesday the pipe that burst had not been inspected in 28 years and that it had not taken action even after being advised by a sub-contractor that it needed attention. Police and officials from the national government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency were at the accident site on Friday gathering evidence that could lead to charges of negligence. SCANDAL-PRONE INDUSTRY Media reports said Kansai President Yosaku Fuji was likely to resign to take responsibility for the accident. A spokesman at Kansai Electric said, however, that there were no plans for Fuji to resign and no discussion of it. "We currently are putting our top priority on finding out the cause of the accident," the spokesman said. Japan's nuclear watchdog has told power companies to check documentation to ensure that inspections on pipes similar to the one that ruptured at Mihama have been carried out properly. Similar checks have also been ordered at thermal plants. The NISA has told the companies to report back by August 18. If records show they have neglected proper inspections plants may be required to shut down for checks. Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the world's biggest private electric utility, denied a report that it would restart thermal power units in case its nuclear reactors needed to be taken out of service for safety checks. Firing up thermal plants would increase demand for oil imports at a time when prices are at record highs and Japan is having one of the hottest summers in recent years. The Nihon Keizai newspaper said that TEPCO and Kansai would increase purchases of crude oil and fuel oil by between 10 and 20 percent to run their thermal generators. TEPCO had to temporarily close all its 17 reactors after it emerged in late 2002 that it had tampered with safety documents. The only previous fatal accident at a Japanese nuclear power plant occurred in 1967. One person died when a fire broke out at a plant in Ibaraki prefecture just north of Tokyo. There was no radiation leak. The worst previous incident at a nuclear facility was at a uranium processing plant in Tokaimura, a town north of Tokyo. That took place on September 30, 1999, when an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction was triggered after three poorly trained workers used buckets to mix nuclear fuel in a tub. Shares of Kansai Electric have fallen 4.33 percent since the accident. Copyright 2004 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/BRUplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> *************************************************************************** Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. 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