Tsuruga Reactor Formally Ruled Noncompliant with Safety Standards

Tokyo, Nov. 13 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday officially ruled the No. 2 reactor of Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tsuruga nuclear power plant in the central Japan prefecture of Fukui noncompliant with the country's new safety standards, following a public comment period.

The NRA in August adopted a draft screening report concluding that the Tsuruga No. 2 reactor with an output capacity of 1.16 million kilowatts did not meet the safety standards, after a screening process of nearly nine years.

Although the official decision makes a restart of the nuclear reactor virtually impossible, it is technically possible for Japan Atomic Power to reapply to bring the reactor back online. The operator has indicated that it will submit a new application after conducting an additional investigation.

The NRA reached a noncompliance decision for a nuclear reactor for the first time since its establishment in 2012.

"It was a big decision," NRA Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka told a press conference. But he added that the decision "is not different at all from those made so far, in that we conducted strict screening from scientific and technical standpoints."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]