| This is
the third and final installment of a three-part series examining how earthquake-prone
Japan can coexist with nuclear power plants, a concern that has surfaced
in the wake of the July 16 earthquake in the Chuetsu region of Niigata
Prefecture--the first temblor anywhere in which the fault line ran beneath
a nuclear power plant.
Every summer, officials at the Electricity Infrastructure Division of the Natural Resources and Energy Agency in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo, hardly have time to sleep due to their heavy workload. They are in charge of coordinating with electric power companies on estimates each power plant can provide so that the Kanto area will be supplied with enough electricity during the year's peak energy consumption period. Damage from the Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake on July 16 forced Tokyo Electric Power Co. to shut down all seven reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which are capable of generating a combined 8.2 million kilowatts, making it one of the world's largest nuclear power plants. The shutdown comes just a few weeks before the busiest of summer days for these officials arrives. "I don't know if any of us are sleeping even an hour a day," said an exhausted Kyoji Yoshino, chief of the Electricity Infrastructure Division. There are 55 nuclear reactors in the nation. Over the past 30 years, the percentage of all electricity in the country that comes from nuclear energy has risen from 6.5% to 31%. However, only 35 nuclear power plants are in operation due to a series of reactors shutdowns. The N°1 reactor of Hokuriku Electric Power Co.'s Shika nuclear power plant was shut down after it was revealed in March that the power company failed to report a criticality accident in 1999. There also are a number of reactors that are not in operation due to regular checkups. The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant is expected to be out of service for up to 18 months as earthquake-resistance reinforcements have to be made to meet stricter requirements, and a detailed geological survey around the plant must be conducted. Securing enough electricity for the summer, therefore, appears to be a tight rope act for the agency. The government has regarded nuclear power as crucial for stable electricity supplies, and power companies have long touted nuclear power as a trump card in tackling global warming. In April, TEPCO President Tsunehisa Katsumata, who also is chairman of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan, announced a federation action plan that called for promoting further energy production through nuclear means. "We are in a crucial stage of deciding a future framework to combat global warming," Katsumata said at a press conference, adding that Japanese people as a whole should do more to reduce global-warming gas emissions. TEPCO, the industry leader, has been the standard bearer for promoting nuclear power. (suite)
|
suite:
"[The shutdown of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa] will inevitably affect our efforts to meet the target of reducing carbon dioxide," a strained Katsumata said Friday while on what he calls a pilgrimage to make apologies after the reactors at the plant were ordered to shut down due to its insufficient fire-extinguishing system. It is certain the quake will force the government to rewrite its scenario for reducing greenhouse gases. Under the Kyoto Protocol, Japan aims to cut such emissions by 6 percent from its 1990 level in 2008-12. But this assumes 84.1% of the nation's nuclear reactors are in operation. Such emissions in fiscal 2005 totaled the equivalent of 1.36 billion tons of carbon dioxide. To meet that target, Japan needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 14% from fiscal 2005. Of the 14%, the government had hoped to meet a reduction of 5.5% by boosting production at nuclear power plants. If the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant is shut down for a year and its shortfall in power generation is supplemented by coal-generated power, CO2 emissions will increase by about 40 million tons. Yoshio Tamura, administrative vice minister of the Environment Ministry, did not hide his disappointment over the plant's shutdown. "The shutdown of the plant was so painful for us, particularly when we had high hopes for increasing the rate of operation at nuclear plants," Tamura said. In addition, momentum has gathered to review earthquake-resistance levels at nuclear power plants across the country. "If more nuclear plants decide to shut down until they confirm their earthquake-resistant levels are sufficient, the damage [to efforts to reduce global warming gas emissions] will be incalculable," another high-ranking official at the ministry said. The Los Angeles Times described last week's earthquake as a disaster striking "the world's largest nuclear power plant," adding: "The latest troubles could have broad implications for plans to increase the percentage of electricity that comes from nuclear energy in an economic powerhouse that rests on highly volatile geological plates but has little coal, and no oil or natural gas." Satoru Tanaka, a member of the supply and demand division of the Advisory Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and a professor at Tokyo University, said: "First and foremost, it is essential to improve the reliability of this nation's technology for nuclear power generation as a key source of its electric power. This should be complemented by efforts to ensure the country can avail itself of multiple energy sources, including natural energy." Many observers electric power industry must thoroughly disclose information regarding the world's first earthquake to hit a nuclear power plant that sits on a fault and to establish reliable earthquake-resistance technology if the nation wants to restore its credibility in nuclear energy. This series of articles was written by four science news department staff writers--Nobuhiko Harada, Masae Honma, Tatsuo Nakajima and Kiyohiko Yoneyama. |