Japan nuke accident raises doubts over aging plant
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-08-10 15:44

A leak of high-pressure steam that killed four workers at a Japanese nuclear power station has raised questions about the condition of some of Japan's aging facilities and the rigor of procedures for maintaining them.

Although there was no radiation leak, four workers were scalded to death and seven others injured when steam leaked from a broken pipe at the Mihama plant operated by Kansai Electric Power Co. in Monday's incident, the worst in terms of deaths at a Japanese nuclear facility.

Bathers enjoy the beach near Mihama Nuclear Power Plant in the northern Japanese town of Mihama, Japan August 10, 2004, after a leak of high-pressure steam at the nuke plant killed four workers on Monday. But authorities said no radiation escaped in the accident. [Reuters]

Strategic Forecasting Inc, a U.S.-based analysis group, said the accident could force Japan to shut down its nuclear reactors for inspections.

"If the accident proves to have originated in a critical system, the implications of the Aug. 9 non-radioactive steam leak will prove deep and immediate, forcing the government to order another round of safety inspections," it said.

"Early indications are that the bursting pipe that released the steam was already through 28 years of its 30-year lifespan, raising the possibility that similar pipes on all plants might have to be replaced," it added.

The accident is likely to further dent public confidence in the Japanese nuclear industry, undermined by safety scandals.

Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc (TEPCO), Japan's biggest electricity producer, was forced to close all its 17 nuclear power plants temporarily by April 2003 after admitting it had falsified safety documents for more than a decade.

A number of towns have held referendums in the past few years and voted against the construction of nuclear plants.

NO CHECKS SINCE 1976

Monday's accident occurred when a pipe burst in a building housing turbines for the Number 3 reactor at the Mihama plant in Fukui prefecture, 200 miles west of Tokyo.

Picture released by Japan's nuclear safety agency shows a broken steam pipe at the Mihama nuclear power plant. The operator of the plant admitted to lax safety inspections after a steel pipe which had not been properly inspected for 28 years exploded killing four workers and injured seven others at least one critically. [AFP]

The pipe had not been checked since it started operations in 1976, according to Kansai Electric.

"There are around 10 reactors that are older," said Satoshi Fujino, a member of Citizens' Nuclear Information Center, a non-profit organization critical of the use of nuclear power.

The Japanese authorities have asked power utilities for urgent checks on reactors they operate that are of the same design as the Mihama plant.

Kouji Yamashita, a nuclear plant safety inspector at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), said there were 22 nuclear power generators in Japan of that design, 10 run by Kansai Electric, the remainder operated by four other firms.

Trade Minister Shoichi Nakagawa offered an apology to the victims on Tuesday and said he wanted to ensure the safety of other nuclear plants while making sure there were no disruptions to energy supply as summer demand peaks. "We must not undermine trust in nuclear energy policy," said Nakagawa, who was to visit the Mihama plant later on Tuesday.

"We would like to investigate the cause and make sure it does not happen again."

Japan, which depends on nuclear power for a third of its energy needs, has 52 nuclear reactors in 14 nuclear power plants.

The accident has also raised questions about whether Kansai Electric took sufficient safety precautions.

Kyodo news agency said Fukui police suspect Kansai Electric neglected safety standards by letting more than 200 workers prepare for an annual inspection at the Mihama reactor while it was still running.

The worst previous incident at a Japanese nuclear facility was at a uranium processing plant in Tokaimura, north of Tokyo, in September 1999, when an uncontrolled nuclear chain reaction was triggered by three poorly trained workers who used buckets to mix nuclear fuel in a tub.

The resulting release of radiation killed two workers and forced the evacuation of thousands of nearby residents.

The only previous fatal accident at a Japanese nuclear power plant was in 1967, in a fire at a plant in Ibaraki prefecture just north of Tokyo. There was no radiation leak.

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