Hokuriku Electric Power’s Shiga Nuclear Power Plant (Photo taken in May 2022) = Shiga Town, Ishikawa Prefecture
The Nuclear Regulation Authority will hold a special press conference from 6:30 p.m. regarding six nuclear power plants located in Ishikawa, Fukui, and Niigata prefectures due to an earthquake that recorded a maximum seismic intensity of 7 in the Ishikawa/Noto region at around 4:10 p.m. on the 1st. At the press conference, he announced that “no abnormalities have been confirmed.” There were no injuries to any nuclear power plant staff or workers.
Shiga Town, Ishikawa Prefecture, where the Hokuriku Electric Power Company’s Shiga Nuclear Power Plant is located, experienced a seismic intensity of 7. The Shiga Nuclear Power Plant has Units 1 and 2, both of which are not operating and there is no nuclear fuel in the reactors. There are no abnormalities in the readings from the monitoring posts that monitor the radiation levels in the surrounding area. The shaking caused some of the water in the pool where spent nuclear fuel is stored to leak. Cooling stopped for about 30 minutes due to the earthquake, but it has been restored.
At the Shiga Nuclear Power Plant, there was information that “there was a sound like an explosion and a burning smell” near the main transformer of Unit 2 during the earthquake. Power plant officials had not confirmed the fire as of 5:30 p.m. It appears that the fire was extinguished automatically by spray extinguishing. Oil leakage was confirmed in the transformer of Unit 1, but external power supply has been secured.
There are four nuclear power plants in Fukui Prefecture. Japan Atomic Power’s Tsuruga Unit 2 (Tsuruga City) is currently out of operation. Kansai Electric Power’s Mihama Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 (Mihama Town) is not operating due to regular inspections. Of the Kansai Electric Power Takahama Nuclear Power Plant Units 1 to 4 (Takahama Town), Units 1 to 3 are in operation, while Unit 4 is stopped for periodic inspection. Units 3 and 4 of the KEPCO Oi Nuclear Power Plant (Oi Town) are in operation. No abnormalities have been confirmed in either case.
No abnormalities have been confirmed at the nuclear facilities Monju and Fugen in Tsuruga City.
Units 1 to 7 of TEPCO’s Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, located between Kashiwazaki City and Kariwa Town in Niigata Prefecture, are not operating and no abnormalities have been confirmed. Additionally, some of the water in the spent nuclear fuel pools of Units 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7 leaked due to the earthquake, but there was no problem with cooling.
Additionally, it was confirmed that 13 monitoring posts that monitor environmental radiation levels in Ishikawa Prefecture were not operating, and as of 7 p.m., two had been restored. (Shinichi Ogawa)
2024-01-01 11:17:00
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