Nagoya Court Backs NRA's Reactor Life Extension Approvals

Nagoya, March 14 (Jiji Press)--Nagoya District Court on Friday dismissed lawsuits to revoke the Japanese Nuclear Regulation Authority's decisions to extend the operating lifespans of three aged nuclear reactors in the central Japan prefecture of Fukui.

Presiding Judge Ryo Kenmochi upheld the NRA's approvals of 20-year extensions to the operating periods of the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Takahama plant beyond 40 years, as well as that of the No. 3 reactor of the firm's Mihama plant.

The court battle centered on whether the NRA's screening standards were appropriate.

The plaintiffs argued that the criteria did not adequately consider the possibility that aged reactor pressure vessels could be damaged if they were cooled rapidly during an accident.

The judge said there is nothing unreasonable in the NRA's method of predicting deterioration. Regarding the screening criteria, he said, "Their validity has been confirmed including by outside experts."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]