20 Jan (NucNet): Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has confirmed that the Genkai-3 and -4 nuclear power plants in Saga Prefecture in southern Japan are compatible with new regulatory standards introduced following the March 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi accident. The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (Jaif) said owner and operator Kyushu Electric Power Company filed applications with the NRA for compatibility examinations of the two units on 12 July 2013, soon after the new regulatory standards came into effect. According to Jaif, Kyushu Electric still needs permission from local authorities to restart the units and it is unclear how long this will take. A number of surrounding municipalities have said they are against reactor restarts, Jaif said. Kyushu Electric carried out modifications to the design of an onsite emergency response facility at Genkai. The facility will serve as a centralised headquarters in the event of a severe accident. Genkai-3 and -4 are both 1,127-MW pressurised water reactors. Unit 3 was shut down for an annual outage in December 2010 and Unit 4 in December 2011, Jaif said. The units were never restarted following a nationwide nuclear shutdown as a result of the March 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi accident. The number of nuclear units in Japan that have met the new regulatory standards has now reached 10, Jaif said.
