Japan Regulator To Allow Nuke Plants To Operate For More Than 60 Years

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has outlined a new regulation system that will allow nuclear power plants to stay in operation for more than 60 years in line with the central government's reactor life extension policy, Junichi Tsuchiya reported for Mainichi Japan.

Photo Insert: The NRA will re-review nuclear plants currently operating beyond 30 years before the new system goes into operation, as previous approvals will be invalidated by its introduction.

The new system eyes dropping the "40-year rule" from the nuclear reactor regulation law, which is administered by the NRA.

The authority currently limits nuclear reactors' service period to 40 years in principle, but this can be extended to up to 60 years under certain conditions. Under the new system, the NRA will evaluate the deterioration level and safety of nuclear reactors in service for 30 years or more, starting in the 30th year and continuing once per decade or less thereafter.

The authority will then approve or deny continued operation. The regulator will demand operators submit a management plan and have them spell out measures needed to control equipment deterioration. It will also check whether the measures promised are taken in fact after approval.

Under the current system, power companies are supposed to decommission reactors older than 40 years.

This rule holds even at power stations that have been stopped for long periods for reasons including drawn-out NRA evaluations under regulatory standards set in the wake of the March 2011 triple-meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

These halted plants will be able to restart with approval after the new system takes effect.

The NRA will re-review nuclear plants currently operating beyond 30 years before the new system goes into operation, as previous approvals will be invalidated by its introduction.

However, the authority will not require utilities to submit new data. NRA plans to exchange opinions with power companies before the end of the year regarding the new system, which is expected to get its legal grounding in a bill to be submitted to the Diet in 2023 following public commentary.

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