Breaking intermission of nuclear power generation in Japan
for two years, Kyushu Electric Power Company resumed operation of Sendai
Nuclear Power Plant on Tuesday. It marked the first operation of nuclear power
plant under new regulatory standard laid by Nuclear Regulation Authority, which
had been established after the disaster in First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.
While power companies celebrated revitalizing their business, a number of
people opposed the decision of KEPCO and Japanese government with skepticism on
manageability of nuclear power.
Resumed was the First Reactor of Sendai Nuclear Power Plant.
After four years and two months of intermission, KEPCO reloaded nuclear fuel
rods in the reactor last month. On Tuesday, it restarted the reactor by
removing control rod and chain reaction of nuclear fission will reach the
critical point in the night. The reactor will resume supplying electric power
on Friday. The Second Reactor of Sendai will be restarted in mid-October.
Soon after severe accident in four reactors in the First
Fukushima, the rest of fifty nuclear reactors in Japan were all shut down. To
cover power scarcity in Kansai area, the government resumed two reactors in Oi
Nuclear Power Plant in July, 2012, that operated for a year before they needed
to stop for regular examination. Sendai was the first plant that passed new
regulatory standard last September.
Protesters raise various reasons against nuclear power
generation. Existence of active volcano around the plant and uncertainty of
evacuation plan for the residents are some of them. However, the biggest
concern comes from moral uneasiness on resuming nuclear power plant in the time
when tens of thousands of people can still not get back their home after
unpredicted accident in Fukushima.
It is fair to say that logic of business overtook moral
concern. But, as a matter of fact, Japan has been providing with enough
electric power without nuclear generation at least for these two years.
Financial balance of power companies have been improving during intermission of
nuclear generation. Japan can actually spare nuclear power generation.
What power companies want to regain is ruling status in
Japanese society as energy provider. They still believe in a concept that ruler
of energy rules Japan, as in ancient Japan when ruler of water ruled the state.
The resumption of nuclear reactor is a result of cooperation between power
companies and politics with support of bureaucracy, all of which do not stop
seeking power.
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