31 May, 2021
Information about Fukushima Daiichi NPPs Water Treatment
■The Japanese Government’s Announcement of the Basic Policy on handling of the ALPS treated water at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants
20 May, 2021
Takahama-1 and -2 and Mihama-3 NPPs Move to 60-Year Operation
On May 12, the Kansai Electric Power Co. (Kansai EP) announced its plans for restarting its Takahama-1 and -2 (PWRs, 826 MWe each) and Mihama-3 (PWR, 826 MWe) Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs). It marks the first time in Japan that commercial reactors will have been restarted after obtaining permission to operate for sixty years.
26 April, 2021
Toward Achieving 46% Reduction in GHG Emissions by 2030
On April 22, at Japan’s Global Warming Prevention Headquarters, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced a new goal of cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 46 percent by 2030 from 2013 levels, adding that the nation would continue to endeavor toward a 50-percent cut. On the same day, the prime minister publicly committed Japan to that goal at the Leaders Summit on Climate, convened by President Joe Biden of the United States.
16 April, 2021
Decision on Disposal of ALPS Treated Water Stored at the Fukushima Daiichi NPPs
On April 13, the Japanese government’s Inter-Ministerial Council for Contaminated Water and Decommissioning Issues decided, as a basic policy, that contaminated water accumulated at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) would be released into the sea, having been treated by the multi-nuclide removal equipment known as the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS).
Mihama-3 originally began commercial operation in December 1976. In May 2011, the unit entered a periodic inspection, when it underwent examinations by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) for compatibility with the new regulatory standards and for permission to extend its operating lifetime to up to 60 years.
The unit was restarted on June 23, 2021, becoming the first in Japan to be restarted after operating for more than 40 years. A period of adjustment operations is now underway before the final stage of the periodic inspection, i.e., connection to the grid. After a final inspection by the NRA, Mihama-3 is expected to resume commercial service on July 27.
In addition to work on safety measures based on the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi, Kansai EP carried out other kinds of w...
Ottawa/Tokyo (June 24, 2021) - The Canadian Nuclear Association (CNA) and the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to carry out cooperative nuclear power and climate change activities.
“We are happy to formalize this important partnership with JAIF,” said John Gorman, President and CEO of the CNA. “This presents both of our organizations with a great opportunity for collaborating and exchanging information to meet our common goals that include addressing the climate crisis. Nuclear technologies will play an important role here and partnerships like these align our collective efforts.”
”We are pleased with this fantastic opportunity to officially start a new partnership with the CNA through the MOU signing”, said Shiro Arai...
The white paper addresses three shifts implemented in measures by Japan’s Ministry of the Environment (MOE) in 2020, in accordance with its theme of redesigning the economy and society toward carbon neutrality by 2050. The three shifts are to a low-carbon society, to environmental economics, and to a decentralized society.
At a press conference after the Cabinet meeting the same day, MOE Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said, “Younger people in particular, who cannot escape a time when climate change will become increasingly serious, are encouraged to read the white paper.” He said he looked to hearing from such people, particularly, their views and even proposals on the policy challenges ahead.
The white paper recognizes March 2021—the tenth anniversary of the giant earthquake of March 11,...
When he earlier agreed to the operation beyond 40 years of the Mihama-3 NPP (PWR, 826MW) and others, Hiroshi Kajiyama, head of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), had explained to him the need for the sustainable utilization of nuclear power. The reactors are owned and operated by the Kansai Electric Power Co. (Kansai EP).
Now, having mentioned his great surprise about the change, Governor Sugimoto has asked that Japan “draw a clear picture of its energy future” in the next Strategic Energy Plan. On June 9, the governor had an online conversation with METI State Minister Kiyoshi Ejima, conveying to him the prefecture’s thoughts.
At the end of April, METI Minister Kajiyama had explained the need for the sustainable use of nuclear power and R&D on next-generation re...
It took place at the Miyagi Prefectural Office in Sendai, following the first meeting of the working group on May 31 in Fukushima Prefecture. The occasion was co-hosted by a joint conference established by Miyagi Prefecture on dealing with treated water.
At the meeting, representatives from prefectural industrial organizations and municipalities—who also belong to the joint conference—expressed their opinions and views, along with Miyagi Governor Yoshihiro Murai, who chaired the conference. State Minister Kiyoshi Ejima of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), who heads the working group, then responded, along with others.
In his opening remarks, Miyagi Governor Murai said, “Although activities have been completed in many of the affected areas as far as physical matters ...
