TOKYO, (PNA/Kyodo) — Tokyo Electric Power Co. on Friday filed for state safety assessments of two nuclear reactors in Niigata Prefecture, joining moves by four other utilities in Japan seeking to reactivate atomic power plants to improve their tough business conditions.
TEPCO spent over two months seeking local approval to apply for the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s safety assessments, reflecting the sensitivity of reactor restarts by the operator of the accident-stricken Fukushima Daiichi complex, which remains plagued by radioactive water leaks and other troubles.
After submitting applications for the Nos. 6 and 7 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, TEPCO Managing Executive Officer Takafumi Anegawa told reporters that the utility will at the same time make “all-out efforts” to allay public concerns over the toxic water problem at the Fukushima complex.