Revision of Nuclear Disaster Countermeasure Guidelines After Noto Peninsula Earthquake

At its regular meeting on the 17th, the Nuclear Regulation Authority decided to revise its nuclear disaster countermeasure guidelines after receiving opinions from local governments where nuclear power plants are located about how to evacuate indoors in the event of an accident following the Noto Peninsula earthquake. It is expected to specify the timing for lifting the shelter-in-place order, which is not specified in the current guidelines.

　Nuclear disaster countermeasure guidelinesAfter the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, the Nuclear Regulation Authority formulated this policy in preparation for a serious nuclear power plant accident. In the event of a serious accident, evacuation and radiation exposure protection measures are stipulated, such as evacuation of those within 5 kilometers of the nuclear power plant, and evacuation of those within 5 to 30 kilometers indoors.

◆Even with collapsed houses and broken roads, “we can comply with the current guidelines”

The guidelines will be used as a reference by local governments where nuclear power plants are located when creating regional disaster prevention plans. In this earthquake, if an accident occurred at the Hokuriku Electric Power Shiga Nuclear Power Plant (Ishikawa Prefecture), it would be impossible to evacuate indoors due to collapsed houses. However, there is a high possibility that there will be no in-depth review.

Shinsuke Yamanaka, Chairman of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, explaining the review of the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Guidelines

At the regular meeting, Committee Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka raised the possibility of a review. Akira Ishiwata, a member of the committee in charge of earthquake and tsunami reviews, said, “Current guidelines are a little lacking,” regarding situations where evacuations are hindered by natural disasters. Chairman Yamanaka instructed the secretariat to present issues for discussion.

On the other hand, at a press conference after the regular meeting, Committee Chairman Yamanaka said, “There are no problems with responding to the Noto Peninsula earthquake,” regarding the current guidelines, indicating that he does not think there will be any major revisions. When asked about the need for a review in light of the large number of collapsed houses and road disruptions, he simply said, “Current guidelines and regional disaster prevention plans drawn up by local governments can be used to respond.”

The reason for the review was that during a meeting on the 13th with the local government where Tohoku Electric Power’s Onagawa Nuclear Power Plant (Miyagi Prefecture) is located, attendees had a series of questions regarding when the shelter-in-place order would be lifted. “I would like to more clearly indicate (the timing of the lifting of the restrictions),” he said, predicting that the review will take several months as it will be a difficult discussion. (Seiko Watanabe)

◆Regulatory Commission downplays risks Have we forgotten the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident?

The Nuclear Regulation Authority’s stance of limiting its review of the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Guidelines, which are the basis for evacuation actions in the event of a nuclear power plant accident, to a limited scope, turns its attention away from the magnitude of the risk of a nuclear disaster, and as a regulatory authority, does not fulfill its role.

In the Noto Peninsula earthquake, many houses collapsed, making it clear that evacuation indoors as required by the guidelines was not realistically possible. Up to 18 monitoring posts within a 30km radius of Hokuriku Electric Power’s Shiga Nuclear Power Plant (Ishikawa Prefecture) are no longer able to measure radiation levels, which are used to make evacuation decisions. Roads used for evacuation have been cut off, and evacuation by boat has become unusable due to upheaval caused by fault activity, and the assumptions of the guidelines have completely collapsed.

The lesson learned from the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident in March 2011 is that nuclear power plants are not 100% safe and that we must constantly face risks and revise countermeasures. Now that it has become clear that the guidelines are not working, the ideal role for regulatory authorities is to identify the problems in detail and conduct a fundamental review. The regulatory commission must not forget the current situation in which more than 20,000 Fukushima residents continue to evacuate due to the Fukushima accident. (Kenta Onozawa)


2024-01-17 11:33:52
#Nuclear #disaster #countermeasure #guidelines #reviewed.. #regulatory #commission #denies #major #preconditions #evacuation #completely #collapsed #due #Noto #Peninsula #earthquake #Tokyo #Shimbun #TOKYO #Web