TOKYO (Reuters) -Kansai Electric Power will resume surveys at its Mihama nuclear power station in western Japan in November on the feasibility of building a successor unit after they were halted following the Fukushima disaster.
The renewed surveys, first announced in July, mark Japan’s first concrete step towards building a new reactor since the disaster at Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima plant, triggered by the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.
The surveys, expected to run through around 2030, will start with extensive geological studies inside and outside the plant site to identify suitable areas, followed by assessments of topography and ground conditions, the company said.
Kansai Electric said it will then weigh the findings alongside the development of advanced light-water reactors, regulatory policies, and business environment before deciding on a new unit.
Surveys for a replacement reactor at Mihama were carried out from late 2010 but halted after the Fukushima disaster. The new round will be more extensive to meet stricter safety regulations implemented after the disaster, a company spokesperson said.
At Mihama in Fukui prefecture, No. 1 and No. 2 units are being decommissioned, leaving No. 3 as the only one in operation.
Since 2022, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and four utilities, including Kansai Electric, have been jointly developing a next-generation reactor. Kyushu Electric Power, Shikoku Electric Power and Hokkaido Electric Power are also part of the consortium designing the 1.2-gigawatt advanced light-water reactor known as “SRZ-1200.”
(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
