TOKYO: Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday decided to allow Kansai Electric Power Co. to operate the aging No. 1 reactor at its Takahama nuclear power plant for more than 50 years.

The country’s oldest operating nuclear reactor in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, which has an output capacity of 826,000 kilowatts, will next month mark 50 years since its operations started.

It is Japan’s first reactor allowed to operate beyond 50 years after the NRA approved changes in the reactor’s safety regulations, including facility checkup and management plans for the next decade.

Still, the reactor needs to pass another NRA screening because Japan will start a new system effectively enabling reactor operations for over 60 years under a law for decarbonization entering into force next June.

This time, the nuclear safety watchdog examined Kansai Electric’s safety evaluation and management policies for equipment and others in view of the aging of the reactor.

It confirmed Kansai Electric’s assessment that the strength of concrete inside the reactor, which was exposed to intense heat and radiation, has been maintained, and approved the company’s plan to replace some parts.

“The compliance of the Takahama No. 1 reactor had already been confirmed with the approval of the extension of its operations beyond 40 years,” NRA Chairman Shinsuke Yamanaka told a news conference. “We don’t think there is anything particularly problematic.”

In November last year, Kansai Electric applied for approval to change the safety regulations.

JIJI Press