Japan's second largest power company is to close all 11 of its nuclear reactors to carry out urgent safety checks after an accident at one of its plants on Monday in which four workers died and seven others were injured.
Kansai Electric Power said the closures would not affect power supplies, but admitted it would have to restart two ageing oil-fired plants to make up the expected shortfall in electricity generation.
The announcement came four days after four men burned to death when scalding non-radioactive steam escaped from a ruptured turbine pipe at a reactor in Mihama, about 200 miles west of Tokyo.
The company later admitted that the burst pipe had not been properly inspected for 28 years, even though a subcontractor warned last year that it should be checked urgently. It ruptured as the workers were preparing the plant for an inspection scheduled to begin this weekend.
The company's president, Yosaku Fuji, denied local media reports that he would resign to take responsibility for the accident.
In terms of fatalities, the accident was the worst yet at a Japanese nuclear power plant.
In September 1999 two poorly-trained workers died after accidentally setting off an uncontrolled chain reaction at a uranium processing plant near Tokyo.
The inspections could cost Kansai Electric as much as US$90 million, depending on how long they last.
"Normally it would take about six weeks to carry out the checks," said a company spokesman.
Japan's eight other electric power companies said they would not follow Kansai Electric's lead, but they may have to close plants if they are found to have missed safety checks.
The nuclear watchdog has given them until next Wednesday to report back.
Kansai Electric says it has enough oil in stock to restart two ageing thermal reactors.
Tokyo Electric Power re-started seven thermal plants after it was forced to close all 17 of its nuclear reactors last year. The company, Japan's largest power producer, admitted it had tried to conceal reports of cracks for 15 years.
The government's enthusiasm for nuclear power has not been dented, despite growing safety fears. It plans to add several new reactors to the current 52.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was