Onagawa No. 2 Reactor Effectively Passes NRA Safety Screenings

   Tokyo, Nov. 27 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority approved Wednesday a draft screening document that the No. 2 reactor at Tohoku Electric Power Co.'s <9506> Onagawa nuclear power plant meets new nuclear plant safety standards for a restart.
   The reactor at the plant in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, thus effectively passed the NRA's safety screenings under the stricter standards introduced following the triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, caused by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. The NRA will finalize the approval after a period for public comments.
   Among nuclear reactors affected by the earthquake and tsunami, the Onagawa No. 2 reactor is the second for which a screening document was drawn up by the NRA, following the reactor at the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, owned by Japan Atomic Power Co. The report for the Tokai No. 2 plant's reactor was compiled last year.
   Tohoku Electric plans to complete seismic reinforcement and other work by March 2021 for the Onagawa No. 2 reactor. It is uncertain, however, when the company can resume the reactor's operations as it needs to win consent from local governments to do so.
   When the powerful earthquake and tsunami mainly hit the country's Tohoku northeastern region, the No. 1 and No. 3 reactors of the Onagawa plant were in operation and Tohoku Electric was starting up the No. 2 reactor.

(2019/11/27-16:22)

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