TOKYO, Nov. 21 (PNA/Kyodo) — Nuclear regulators on Thursday began a safety assessment process to decide whether two reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant are qualified to restart, nearly two months after the utility filed an application.
The move is a sign of progress for TEPCO, which is eager to restart the seven-reactor plant in Niigata Prefecture to improve the tough business conditions it faces due to the crisis at its Fukushima Daiichi complex, but the Nuclear Regulation Authority suggested earlier that the process may not go smoothly.
At the outset of the first safety review session for the Nos. 6 and 7 reactors, TEPCO Managing Executive Officer Takafumi Anegawa said, “We are deeply aware that we are facing doubts over our safety awareness, organization, technical abilities and management. We are expecting strict screening.” (PNA/Kyodo)