FACTBOX-Shutdown schedule for active nuclear reactors in Japan
Fri, 5 Aug 2011 06:14 GMT
Aug 5 (Reuters) - The prolonged crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant after a massive earthquake and tsunami in March has prompted a review of Japan's energy policy and raised questions on how government officials and industry will deal with the prospect of power shortages that could stretch into 2012.
Tokyo Electric Power Co said on Friday it would close for maintenance the 1,100-megawatt No.1 reactor at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, its only nuclear facility not affected by the quake.
That would reduce the number of power-generating reactors in the country to 15, with capacity of 13,255 MW, meaning only 27 percent of the nation's total nuclear power capacity will be in use.
A total of 54 nuclear reactors had been available for commercial use before the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disabled cooling systems at Tokyo Electric's Fukushima Daiichi, triggering meltdowns of four reactors and radiation leaks.
By the end of September, four more reactors are scheduled to be shut for maintenance. By the end of December another five are due to shut, followed by five more by the end of March.
No reactor has restarted since the March 11 disaster amid public concerns over nuclear energy and the government's reassessments of safety guidelines. The government last month mandated stress tests on idled reactors as a condition for restarts.
To enhance accountability on nuclear safety, Japan has decided to replace three senior bureaucrats in the trade ministry, which has promoted atomic energy and at the same time hosted an agency which checks the safety of nuclear plants.
Without approval to restart reactors now down for maintenance, all of Japan's reactors could be shut by next May, adding more than $30 billion a year to the nation's energy costs.
In Japan, nuclear generators must be shut for inspection at least once every 13 months. The maintenance period can vary from a few months to more than a year, and the restart typically begins with a one- to two-month test run before advancing to commercial operations, a step which requires regulatory approval.
Hokkaido Electric's Tomari No.3 unit has been supplying power to customers since March on a test basis, but the reactor has not yet completed the process for returning to commercial operating status.
The 13-month operating limit begins once a reactor is approved for commercial operations, though limits to fuel life prevent reactors from operating indefinitely.
The list below shows the location of nuclear power plants still in operation and the dates by which each is scheduled to be taken offline for maintenance:
Tokyo Electric
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Unit 1, 1,100 MW
Planned maintenance for 60 days from Aug. 6, 2011
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Unit 5, 1,100 MW
Planned maintenance by Jan. 25, 2012
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Unit 6, 1,356 MW
Planned maintenance from March 2012
Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Unit 7, 1,356 MW
Planned maintenance by Aug. 23, 2011
Kansai Electric
Mihama Unit 2, 500 MW
Planned maintenance by Dec. 19, 2011
Ohi Unit 2, 1,175 MW
Planned maintenance by Dec. 17, 2011
Takahama Unit 2, 826 MW
Planned maintenance by Nov. 26, 2011
Takahama Unit 3, 870 MW
Planned maintenance by Feb. 21, 2012
Kyushu Electric
Genkai Unit 1, 559 MW
Planned maintenance by Dec. 2, 2011
Genkai Unit 4, 1,180 MW
Planned maintenance by Dec. 26, 2011
Sendai Unit 2, 890 MW
Planned maintenance by Sept. 4, 2011
Chugoku Electric
Shimane Unit 2, 820 MW
Planned maintenance by Jan. 28, 2012
Shikoku Electric
Ikata Unit 1, 566 MW
Planned maintenance by Sept. 5, 2011
Ikata Unit 2, 566 MW
Planned maintenance by Jan. 14, 2012
Hokkaido Electric
Tomari Unit 2, 579 MW
Planned maintenance by Aug. 28, 2011
Tomari Unit 3, 912 MW
Planned maintenance expected in April or May 2012 (Compiled by Kevin Krolicki, Osamu Tsukimori and Risa Maeda in Tokyo)
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