Policy of decommissioning aged nuclear plants too abrupt

The government will reportedly submit to the Diet session to convene later this month a bill to revise the Nuclear Reactor Regulation Law in line with this new policy. It will also submit other bills, including one concerning the establishment of a new nuclear safety agency.

In the wake of the accidents at Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in March last year, some local governments that host nuclear power stations have questioned the age of nuclear plants. The government has apparently taken their voices seriously.

Elsewhere in the world, it is rare for a country, except for those advocating abandonment of nuclear power generation, to stipulate by law the life span of a nuclear power station.

Meanwhile, discussion is still under way within the government as to what kind of power supply the nation should have in the future. It seems too abrupt for the government to come up with such a policy now.

Of the 50 nuclear reactors in the country, excluding the four that are to be decommissioned at the Fukushima plant, 15 reactors have been operating for more than 30 years and two have been operating for more than 40 years. The number of nuclear reactors in operation will drop rapidly.

The central government said it might allow the continued operation of a plant if so requested by a local government, based on an evaluation of the plant’s state of ageing. Yet Goshi Hosono, state minister in charge of the nuclear crisis, said, “It will be extremely difficult to (allow continued operation).”

Before the crisis at the Fukushima plant, nuclear power accounted for about 30 per cent of the nation’s power supply. What alternative source will make up for the loss of power that will result of shutting down nuclear plants? Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power are not yet powerful enough.

There are also many problems that will follow the decommissioning of reactors. While making a tentative calculation that decommissioning would cost about 50 billion yen per reactor, the government has established a system whereby utility companies put aside money for the eventual decommissioning of their plants.

Yet only about 10 years have passed since full-fledged saving began for this fund. It would therefore be impossible to cover the costs if reactors are decommissioned one after another, generating an increasing amount of waste. Also, experts in this field are scarce.

Moreover, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda’s administration is seeking to increase exports of nuclear plants. Japan will hardly be able to win international confidence in its nuclear plant system if its own facilities disappear one after another.

If the life span of a nuclear plant is to be stipulated by law, the government must discuss a policy regarding the establishment of new nuclear plants, in connection with future energy policy. Aged plants could be replaced with facilities utilising the world’s best safety standards and technology.

Until then, it is inevitable for the existing nuclear plants to be utilised, if only after their safety is confirmed sufficiently.

Such conditions are also included in the new regulatory policy. First, utility companies will be required by law to take measures to prevent major problems at a nuclear plant from leading to a serious crisis. The government will also introduce a “retrofitting” system whereby utility companies will be required to promptly incorporate the latest safety standards and technology in their existing nuclear plants.

These are measures that the power companies have been taking voluntarily, yet these measures caused the latest accidents.

Domestic nuclear plants have been suspended one after another for regular check-ups, but there is no prospect of their resumed operation. We hope the new regulatory policy will not further delay the operation of these plants.