Kansai Electric Mulls Decommissioning Oi No.1, No. 2 Reactors

Osaka, Oct. 17 (Jiji Press)--Kansai Electric Power Co. 9503 is mulling decommissioning the aging No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at its Oi nuclear power plant in the central Japan prefecture of Fukui, it was learned Tuesday. The two reactors will be in service for 40 years in 2019. The Japanese government set the maximum operating period for a nuclear power reactor at 40 years in principle after the triple reactor meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s 9501 disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant in northeastern Japan. The operating period can be extended by up to 20 years for a total of 60 years if the Nuclear Regulation Authority gives its go-ahead. Kansai Electric earlier indicated plans to apply for the state's permission for operating the two Oi reactors beyond the 40-year limit because they have high power generation capacity and efficiency. But the containment vessels for the two reactors use a special method that reduces pressure inside by cooling steam with ice in the event of an accident. As the method is not adopted for any other reactor in the nation, the Oi No. 1 and No. 2 reactors require different safety measures from those for other reactors, leading to a surge in costs at Kansai Electric and a fall in profitability, informed sources said. In this regard, the company will decide by year-end whether to change its plan to seek the extension of the two reactors' operating period, the sources said. If a decision to change the plan is made, it will be the first time for a reactor generating over one million kilowatts of electricity to be decommissioned, excluding reactors at the damaged Fukushima No. 1 plant. The Oi No. 1 and No. 2 units each have a capacity of 1,175,000 kilowatts. The No. 1 reactor at the Oi plant started operations in March 1979 and the No. 2 reactor in December in the same year. For an extension, Kansai Electric will need to apply for permission a year before the limit comes at the latest.Copyright JIJI PRESS LTD.