Friday, August 10, 2007
TOKYO, Aug. 10, 2007 (AP Online delivered by Newstex) -- A quake-damaged reactor in northern Japan should not be reopened until more tests are conducted, a U.N.-backed team said Friday after concluding an onsite inspection.
The inspection team from the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog made that conclusion after a four-day assessment of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which remains shut down after it was damaged by an earthquake last month.
The magnitude-6.8 quake on July 16 killed 11 people and injured more than 1,000. It also caused malfunctions and leaks at the plant _ the world's largest in terms of capacity _ and raised concerns about safety at Japan's nuclear power stations.
Philippe Jamet, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency team, said further tests must be carried out before the plant can be reopened and the process could take months.
'It's not something you can do quickly. It was a big earthquake,' Jamet said.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. has come under fire after revealing hundreds of problems in the quake's aftermath.
A fire charred an electrical transformer, a small amount of radioactive water leaked into the sea and some 400 barrels of low-level radioactive materials tipped over.
Earlier this week, the operator said some plant workers also were splashed with a small amount of radioactive water while cleaning, but they were wearing protective gear and were not exposed.
TEPCO officials said they had not foreseen such a powerful quake hitting the facility.
Preliminary studies of the surrounding area have shown that a fault line may extend next to, or even directly below, the nuclear power plant.
The government has since said it planned to overhaul earthquake safety standards at plants across Japan.
In a report on nuclear power released Friday, the government stressed the need to address growing public concerns over the safety of nuclear power plants, as well as cover-ups of hundreds of minor problems and illegal repairs.
'As one of the world's most quake-prone nations, it is important for us to achieve earthquake resistance based on the latest scientific knowledge,' the report said. 'Safety must be the absolute priority. In order to avoid misconduct, we should also learn from failures from the past and take precautions to prevent accidents.'
Until last year, Japan had required plants to be built to withstand a 6.5-magnitude quake. In September, the government began implementing tougher guidelines, though they have not set a new magnitude level.
Japan relies heavily on its nuclear program, which supplies about 30 percent of its electricity. The country plans to build another 11 reactors by 2017, eventually boosting nuclear power's share of electricity production to 40 percent.
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