28 Oct (NucNet): Local assembly members voted today to approve the restart of the two-unit Sendai nuclear station in Japan after it became the first nuclear facility to meet revised safety standards imposed after the March 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi accident.
The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum said 19 of the 26 assembly members voted in favour of restarting the plant, while four members voted against and three abstained.
The local mayor also gave the green light, paving the way for the station to resume commercial operations as early as the beginning of next year, once operator Kyushu Electric finishes the necessary paperwork and onsite operational checks.
In July 2014 Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority gave Kyushu Electric Company preliminary approval to restart the two pressurised water reactor units, pending local consultation and approvals.
The NRA said the coastal Sendai station met new safety standards designed to protect against everything from terrorist attacks to tsunamis like the one that led to meltdowns at Fukushima-Daiichi.
The new nuclear safety standards cover three main areas: design basis safety standards, severe accident measures and safety standards for earthquakes and tsunamis.
Operators of nuclear stations in Japan are obligated by law to take concrete steps to mitigate against the possibility of serious accidents. Until now, such action was voluntary.
All of Japan’s 48 operational reactors are offline while they undergo inspections to make sure they comply with new safety standards.
Sendai-1 and Sendai-2 are both 846-megawatt PWRs. Sendai-1 began commercial operation in July 1984 and Sendai-2 in November 1985.
