NEI Nuclear Notes

Click here for the summary and here (PDF) for the complete report. From the summary: Earthquake damage to the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station on 16 July appears to be limited and less than expected, according to an IAEA expert report released today and submitted to the Japanese authorities. Although it appears that the earthquake of 16 July 2007 significantly exceeded the level of the seismic input taken into account in the design of the plant, the installation behaved in a safe manner, during and after the earthquake. In particular, the automatic shutdown of the reactors of Units 3, 4 and 7, which were at full power, and of the reactor of Unit 2, which was in the start up state, were performed successfully. According to the report's findings, this is probably due to the conservatisms introduced at different stages of the design process, the so-called 'design safety margins'. "The combined effects of these conservatisms were apparently sufficient to compensa...

from Bloomberg : Damage to a nuclear power station run by Tokyo Electric Power Co. from a July 16 earthquake ``appears less than expected,'' the International Atomic Energy Agency said after a three-day examination. A team of inspectors ``has concluded that plant safety features performed as required during the earthquake,'' the IAEA, as the United Nations nuclear watchdog is known, said in an Aug. 14 statement on its Web site. ``Damage from the earthquake appears to be limited to those sections of the plant that would not affect the reactor or systems related to reactor safety.'' [...] Six IAEA experts, led by Philippe Jamet, director of the agency's installation nuclear safety division, visited the Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear station, the world's biggest, from Aug. 6 to Aug. 9. The team's report will be released ``within a few days,'' according to the statement. ``The team conducted a three-day physical examination covering the complex of se...

From the Australian Broadcasting Company : The head of an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts has indicated that it could be a year before a Niigata Prefecture nuclear power plant, damaged by the July 16 earthquake, can resume operations. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo after a four-day inspection of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station, Philippe Jamet, director of the IAEA's Nuclear Installation Safety Division, said the process of restarting the plant could take ''months or a year". "[It is] not something you can do very fast. It was a very big earthquake,'' he said. Japanese nuclear experts have said it would take at least a year to put the plant back into operation, but it was the first time that a third-party body such as the IAEA has expressed such a forecast. Asked whether a report the IAEA will issue about damage to the plant would contain negative news for Japan, Mr Jamet said, ''I'm not too worried".

In the immediate aftermath of last month's earthquake in Japan that led to the shutdown of the Kashiwazaki - Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant , it was hard to find reliable English language sources of information. Now, thanks to our friends at the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum ( JAIF ), we have a comprehensive list of Web sites and sources you can rely on. JAIF English home page Kashiwazaki - Kariwa NPS and Niigata Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake consolidates useful links to correct information. Japan Nuclear Technology Institute ( JANTI ) English home page Report on the impact of the Niigata - Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake on the Kashiwazaki - Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant Tokyo Electric Power Company's English home page Press Releases section provides first-hand information on the updated plant status and impact of the earthquake. Nuclear Safety Commission The NSC views on, and future actions to take for, the impacts due to the Niigata -ken Chuetsu - oki Earthquake in 2007 ( PD...