Cable flaws violating Japan's post-Fukushima safety standards have been found at 20 nuclear facilities, mainly reactors, according to Japanese media reports. Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd (JNFL) reported that it had found flaws in a total of 351 cables at its used nuclear fuel-reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan.
Cable flaws violating Japan’s post-Fukushima safety standards have been found at 20 nuclear facilities, mainly reactors, according to Japanese media reports. Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd (JNFL) reported that it had found flaws in a total of 351 cables at its used nuclear fuel-reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho in Aomori Prefecture, northern Japan.
In January, the Nuclear Regulation Authority asked the nine power companies with nuclear plants, Japan Atomic Power Co, JNFL and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency to check whether cables for safety measures at their nuclear plants and facilities had been appropriately installed. The deadline for reporting the results was 31 March. The new standards require that safety cables should be physically separated from other cables so they would continue to function in case of fire or other contingencies.
Yomiuri Shimbun reported on 1April that 3,674 cases of flawed cables were found at six NPPs. These included Tohoku Electric Power Company’s Onagawa NPP, where 15 flawed cables were found at unit 1, 14 at unit 2, and three at unit 3. A further nine were found at unit 1 of Tohoku’s Higashidori NPP. At Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (Tepco’s) Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP, 595 flawed cables were found at unit 1; 322 at unit 2; 282 at unit 3; 180 and unit 4; 491 at unit 6; and 230 at unit 7. At Tepco’s Fukushima Daiini NPP, 382 were found at unit 1; 91at unit 2, 309 at unit 3 and 105 at unit 4. Chubu ElectricPower Co reported 42 flawed cables at unit 3 of its Hamaoka NPP; 189 at unit4; and five at unit 5. At Hokuriku Electric Power Co’s Shika NPP, seven flawed cables were found at unit 1.