TheShika Nuclear Power Plant(Chí hạ nguyên tử lực phát điện sở,Shika genshiryoku hatsudensho,Shika NPP)is anuclear power plantlocated in the town ofShika, Ishikawa,Japan.It is owned and operated by theHokuriku Electric Power Company.It consists of two units with a total capacity of1.746 GWon a site that is 1.6 km2(395 acres).[1]Both units were put in a temporary shutdown in the wake of the 2011Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disasterand received safety upgrades to comply with stricter regulatory requirements. As of 2023, Hokuriku aims to restart the plant in 2026.
| Shika Nuclear Power Plant | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Country | Japan |
| Coordinates | 37°03′40″N136°43′35″E/ 37.06111°N 136.72639°E |
| Status | Out of service |
| Construction began | July 1, 1989 |
| Commission date | July 30, 1993 |
| Operator | Hokuriku Electric Power Company |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactor type | 1 xBWR 1 xABWR |
| Cooling source | Sea of Japan |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 1 x 540 MW 1 x 1206 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 1746MW |
| Capacity factor | 0 |
| Annual net output | 0GW·h |
| External links | |
| Website | www |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
The Hokuriku Technology Museum on nuclear power is located next to the plant site.
History
editConstruction
editConstruction of the first unit was started on July 1, 1989, and finished in three years. The reactor reached its first criticality on November 20, 1992, and went into commercial operation on July 30, 1993.[2]Construction of the second unit was started on August 20, 2001, and finished in three years. The reactor reached its first criticality on May 26, 2005, and went into commercial operation on March 15, 2006.[3]Both units useboiling water reactorsfrom Hitachi.
Operation
editUnit 1 supplied an average of3600 GWhof electricity to the grid yearly during the first ten years of operation with a peak production of4432 GWhin 1997.[4]
The 1999 incident and cover-up
editOn June 18, 1999, during an inspection, an emergencycontrol rodinsertion was to be performed on Unit 1. One rod was to be inserted into the reactor, however, three control rods fell by accident.[5]For the next 15 minutes, the reactor was in a critical state, an unintended self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction.[6]This incident was covered up by the operator, and was not revealed until March 15, 2007.[7]
Unit 1 was subsequently shut down from March 2007 to March 2009, during judicial and bureaucratic evaluation.[8]In April 2007 the event had been provisionally categorized as anINES level-2 incident.[9]A lower court had ordered the entire plant to be shut down, but that decision was later overturned byNagoya's high court. The utility put in a request to the Ishikawa prefectural government and the town of Shika for the restart of unit 1.[10]The unit returned to power on May 11, 2009, and resumed commercial operation on May 13.[11]
Unit 2 reached a peak yearly electricity production of9279 GWhin 2010.
Temporary shutdown
editFollowing the 2011Fukushima nuclear accident,the plant was temporarily shut down in March 2011 to make changes in order to comply with new regulatory requirements.[12]
Construction of a reinforced concrete wall that should shield the reactors against a possibletsunamiwas started in October 2011. The wall was designed 4 meters high and 700 meters long, 11 meters above sea level. This was done to comply with extra governmental instructions ordered after the Fukushima accident. Next to this a new drainage gate was installed to minimize damage to plant facilities in case seawater would be able to climb over the wall and would submerge the plant. Other emergency safety measures included the installing of an extra pump to cool the reactors with seawater and an extra power source to operate a valve for venting steam out of reactors. Construction was expected to be completed by the end of March 2013.[13]
After finishing the safety upgrades, permission for the restart of unit 2 from theNuclear Regulation Authority(NRA) was first sought in August 2014.[14]The NRA safety review was however delayed considerably over the determination of whether there are activegeological faultsunderneath the site, which lasted until March 2023, when it was concluded that there are no such faults. Following these results, Hokuriku Electric submitted an application with a plan to restart unit 2 in early 2026. Unit 1 is to follow soon afterwards.[12][15]Earlier, the NRA had reached a unanimous decision not to seek further opinion from experts who raised concerns of the faults being active.[16]
The 2024 Noto Earthquake
editIn January 2024 the plant was closest to amagnitude7.6earthquakeinIshikawa Prefecture,and survived the event with no major damage. Some water from aspent fuel poolspilled over during the earthquake.[17]
Following theNoto earthquake,the operator said the cooling pool water level "has not changed significantly" after the spillage of more than 400 litres at Units 1 and 2, and that it "did not impact radiation levels outside."[18]
The plant's transformers were also damaged by the quake, leaving it "unable to receive electricity from outside".[19]
On 10 January, a second oil leak "in several gutters surrounding the main transformer of the No.2 reactor" was reported, as well a second "oil slick measuring about 100 meters by 30 meters" on the sea in front of the power plant.[20]"In addition to the loss of the two external power sources [...] some 23,400 litres of oil leaked when transformers for both the No. 1 and 2 reactors were damaged," theMainichireported.[21]Following the incident, the plant's former construction site manager has claimed the plant should be decommissioned.[22]
On 17 April,NHKreported that a section of the No.1 reactor control system had been dislodged by the quake, and thatthe Nuclear Regulation Authoritychairperson instructed the operator for constructural improvements.[23]
Evacuation plans have since been questioned, with the majority of the Ishikawa prefecture designated routes for resident to flee the 30-km radius were cut off, leaving communities isolated.[24]
Lawsuit
editOn 13 May 2024, Kanazawa District Court held a hearing on a case, in which the plaintiffs are seeking the plant's decommission.[25][26]
Reactors on site
edit| Unit | Type | Commission date | Electric Power | Thermal Power | Maker |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shika – 1 | BWR-5 | July 30, 1993[2] | 540 MW | 1,593 MW | Hitachi |
| Shika – 2 | ABWR | March 15, 2006[3] | 1,358 MW | 3,926 MW | Hitachi |
See also
edit
References
edit- ^Hokuriku Power.Shika NPP information sheet.
- ^ab"Shika 1, Japan".World Nuclear Association.
- ^ab"Shika 2, Japan".World Nuclear Association.
- ^"SHIKA-1".Power Reactor Information System.
- ^"Japanese utility to shut reactor after admitting accident cover-up".The New York Times.2007-03-15.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved2024-06-24.
- ^"Japan utility to keep nuclear units shut in '07/08".Reuters.10 August 2007.Retrieved25 June2024.
- ^Aldhous, Peter; Iovino, Zena (18 March 2011)."Japan's record of nuclear cover-ups and accidents".New Scientist.Retrieved25 June2024.
- ^"Shika 1 restarted for tests".World Nuclear News.2009-03-30.
- ^"Shika 1 criticality rated at INES 2".world-nuclear-news.org.2007-04-23.Retrieved2017-03-06.
- ^Reuters.Japan's Hokuriku seeks local OK for nuclear restart.March 18, 2009.
- ^NucNet.Japan’s Shika-1 Returns To ServiceArchived2011-10-04 at theWayback Machine.May 22, 2009.
- ^ab"Shika 2, Japan".www.world-nuclear.org.Retrieved5 January2024.
- ^JAIF (5 October 2011)Earthquake-report 226: Construction of seawall begins at nuclear plantArchived2011-10-28 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Safety review sought for Shika 2".World Nuclear News.2014-08-12.
- ^"Hokuriku Elec puts plan to restart Shika No.2 reactor in 2026 in price hike application".Reuters.2023-10-24.
- ^"Japan regulator bypasses experts in declaring faults under nuclear plant not active".Mainichi.jp.16 March 2023.Retrieved24 June2024.
- ^"'No abnormalities' reported at Japanese nuclear plants following earthquake ".World Nuclear News.2024-01-02.
- ^"Shika Nuclear Power Staion after the 2024 Noto Peninsula Earthquake".www.rikuden.co.jp.Retrieved2024-06-24.
- ^Kobayashi, Yuki (12 March 2024)."The Problems of Nuclear Energy Use by Japan Raised Again by the Noto Peninsula Earthquake".The Sasakawa Peace Foundation.Retrieved24 June2024.
- ^"Japan's Hokuriku Elec reports second oil leak from Shika nuclear plant".Reuters.com.10 January 2024.Retrieved24 June2024.
- ^"Generator fails in test at Japan's Shika nuclear power plant after Noto quake".Mainichi Daily News.2024-01-18.Retrieved2024-06-24.
- ^"Chí hạ nguyên phát, kiến thiết hiện tràng の nguyên trách nhậm giả が “廃 lô にしたほうが…” Năng đăng địa chấn での変 áp khí トラブル “Du lậu れは đại vấn đề” ".tokyo-np.co.jp(in Japanese). 14 May 2024.Retrieved24 June2024.
- ^"Chí hạ nguyên phát 1 hào cơ bộ phẩm の nhất bộ ngoại れているのが kiến つかる địa chấn ảnh hưởng か".NHK - Japan Broadcasting Corporation.17 April 2024.Retrieved24 June2024.
- ^"Noto quake exposes flaws in planning for nuclear disasters".The Asahi Shimbun.22 March 2024.Retrieved25 June2024.
- ^"“Tị nan kế họa は phá たん” chí hạ nguyên phát vận 転 soa し chỉ め cầu める năng đăng bán đảo địa chấn hậu sơ の khẩu đầu biện luận ・ kim trạch địa tài | TBS NEWS DIG (1ページ) ".TBS News(in Japanese). 13 May 2024.Retrieved24 June2024.
- ^"“Nguyên phát tạo ること tự thể gian vi い” nguyên quy chế ủy viên chí hạ tố tụng nguyên cáo đoàn の tổng hội ".The Chunichi Shimbun(in Japanese). 26 May 2024.Retrieved24 June2024.
External links
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