Japan to launch two-stage stress test for its nuclear power reactors
12 Jul 2011
The Japanese government will launch a series of two-stage stress tests to check the safety of nuclear power reactors that have either been idled for maintenance or were shut down after the March 11 tsunami, to ascertain if they safe to resume regular operations.
The Japanese government has said that it would keep the nuclear plants shut till the completion of safety audits, despite concerns over energy shortages.
The government's two-stage safety review of the nuclear plants is an attempt to end public concerns about nuclear safety.
Chief cabinet secretary Yukio Edano said the first stage would be to check plants pending a restart after scheduled maintenance, while the broader second phase would cover all plants, including those currently in operation.
He said the decision to restart the plants that have currently been idled would be based on primary safety assessments. Subsequently, all nuclear reactors will be subject to a second round of stress tests, similar to those conducted by the European Union in the wake of the tsunami-triggered disaster at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in March.
The earthquake and tsunami in March that caused extensive damage to the Fukushima power plant operated by Tepco has led to 35 of Japan's 54 nuclear power plants being idled owing to public concerns over nuclear safety.
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