Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan to Initiate Accepting Applications of Older Reactors for Safety Inspection
Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has announced its decision to start accepting applications for safety inspections of older reactors in October. This comes in anticipation of the new nuclear safety regulations set to be enforced on 6 June 2025.
As per the incoming regulations, reactors operating for 30 years or longer by 6 June 2025 must obtain NRA approval for their safety plans by 5 June 2025. Post the initial 30-year operating period, nuclear operators are required to seek this permission every decade or less.
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While the NRA will initiate safety evaluations for each of these older reactors, the exact duration for the entire process remains uncertain. An NRA official stated that if nuclear operators are unable to secure the necessary safety permissions by the deadline, reactors might face shutdowns.
On 12 September, the Japanese government formalized the decision to implement the safety regulations from 6 June 2025. Additionally, an exception has been made to allow reactors to operate beyond 60 years by not counting the period spent on safety assessments after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011. These rules will likely be integrated into the green transformation decarbonisation power supply law, expected to come into force on 1 April 2024.
The Japanese capital, Tokyo, has been ramping up efforts to leverage its existing nuclear reactors to strengthen the nation's energy security and minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Concurrently, there is a push towards the development of next-gen reactors.
Aligning with its objective to slash GHG emissions by 46% from 2013-14 figures by the fiscal year of April 2030-March 2031, Japan envisions nuclear energy constituting 20-22% of its energy composition. However, given that nuclear power's contribution was merely 6% in 2022-23, Japan is poised to restart more reactors within the forthcoming eight years.
According to the article by Procurement Resource, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan is set to begin safety inspection applications for its older nuclear reactors from October, ahead of the new safety regulations scheduled for 6 June 2025. These rules dictate that reactors in operation for 30 years or more by this date must secure safety plan approvals a day prior. Following this, every ten years or less, a renewal of this permission is mandatory.
The timeline for the complete safety checks isn't clear, and reactors could be shut down if approvals aren't secured on time. This move is part of Japan's initiative to ensure energy security and combat climate change. By the fiscal year ending March 2031, Japan aims for nuclear energy to contribute 20-22% of its power mix, a significant increase from the 6% recorded in 2022-23.
