10 June, 2016
Shikoku Electric Completes Seismic Work and Tornado Measures at Ikata-3
The Shikoku Electric Power Co. has announced that it finished work on safety measures at its Ikata-3 Nuclear Power Plant (PWR, 890MWe) in Ikata Town, Ehime Prefecture, at the end of May. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) had required the work before a safety examination. The power company plans to restart the reactor by July 31.
Shikoku Electric will next perform additional work to provide protection against terrorist aircraft strikes and the like. It estimates the total cost for all these measures at JPY170 billion (USD1.59 billion at USD1= JPY107).
As a defense against strong winds with speeds of 100m/sec (360km/h) or more, the company will implement tornado measures, including attaching two layers of steel sheeting to protect the outer face of the water tank that feeds the emergency core cooling system of the NPP. It has also seismically reinforced the foundation of the pressure accumulating tank and elsewhere.
In July 2015, Ikata-3 cleared a safety examination by the NRA, confirming its compatibility with the new regulatory standards, with permission granted to make changes to the reactor installation (basic design approval).
Three months later, in October, Ehime Governor Tokihiro Nakamura agreed to restart the reactor. The unit has been undergoing pre-service inspections, the final step toward restart, since April 2016.
TAGS: Ehime, Ikata, Ikata-3, local community, local government, NRA, restart, Shikoku
