QUAKE IN JAPAN RAISES FEARS ABOUT NUCLEAR SAFETY
Fissures in the ground are visible in front of the Kashiwazaki nuclear power plant today.
NY Times: MARTIN FACKLER - July 17, 2007 http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/world/asia/17cnd-quake.html?hp TOKYO, Japanese authorities today suspended the operation of a nuclear power plant damaged by a deadly earthquake near the nation's northwest coast that has raised new concerns about the safety of Japan's accident-plagued nuclear power industry. Tokyo Electric, the company that operates the nuclear plant, was examining whether the earthquake had knocked the lids off drums of radioactive waste at the site, a spokesman for the company said. The earthquake, which struck on Monday morning near the city of Kashiwazaki, caused a small fire at the nuclear plant, the world's largest by amount of electricity produced, which later leaked about 317 gallons of water containing low levels of radioactive materials into the Sea of Japan. Television footage today showed rescuers digging through buildings toppled by the earthquake. Japan's military used warships and trucks to carry rice balls, bread, and water into the stricken region. But efforts to reach the remote stretch of coast, about 160 miles northwest of Tokyo, were slowed by landslides and gaping cracks in the earth that severed rail lines and roads, local media reports said. About 13,000 residents fled their homes, police said. Television pictures showed many people sleeping on blankets and futons in school gymnasiums that had been turned into makeshift shelters. At least nine people were killed by the earthquake, city police said in a statement. Another 1,000 people were injured. Japan's meteorological agency said the magnitude was 6.8; the United States Geological Survey put the magnitude at 6.6. In Tokyo, government ministers scrambled to reassure the public about the safety of the nation's nuclear power plants. Tokyo Electric said the levels of radioactive material that had leaked into the Sea of Japan were low enough not to endanger humans or the environment. It said the damage from the earthquake did not threaten the safety of the seven reactors at the Kashiwazaki plant. Four reactors were operating at the time, and all shut down safely, the company said. However, the power company said the earthquake had exceeded the design limits of the reactors, suggesting that the plant's builders had underestimated the strength of possible earthquakes in the region. Tokyo Electric also came under criticism for failing to report the leak to authorities for some six hours. Authorities apparently feared the delay could raise new concerns about the oversight of Japan's nuclear industry, which has suffered a string of accidents and cover-ups in recent years. Japan relies on its 55 nuclear reactors for about a third of its electricity and to reduce the resource-poor nation's dependence on energy imports from the Middle East. Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone nations in the world, and has strict building codes for its nuclear plants. These codes include building nuclear plants on solid bedrock to limit shaking from earthquakes, and guarding sites along the coast with anti-tsunami walls. Japan's economic ministry, which regulates the power industry, issued a statement reprimanding Tokyo Electric for failing to report the accident. The ministry also ordered the company to suspend the plant's operations until the plant's safety could be ensured. The ministry said it had dispatched a team of inspectors to the plant to check the damage. The chief government spokesman, Yasuhisa Shiozaki, said the designs of other nuclear plants may also have to be reexamined to make sure they are strong enough to resist all potential earthquakes. Nuclear safety experts said Monday's earthquake struck just as power companies were examining reactors to see if they met new safety standards set last September. They said the unexpected strength of the earthquake's tremors may force authorities to set even tougher standards, and carry out fresh seismic studies to determine if they were underestimating the size of potential earthquakes. "I'm surprised that the earthquake exceeded estimates," said Haruki Madarame, a professor in nuclear safety engineering at Tokyo University. "Authorities will have to show the public that they are taking all reasonable steps to ensure safety." In March, another nuclear plant operator, Hokuriku Electric, shut down a reactor for inspection after admitting it had covered up a 15-minute uncontrollable nuclear chain reaction in 1999. Japan's most deadly nuclear accident was three years ago, when a steam pipe at a nuclear plant burst, killing four workers. The suspension of operations at the Kashiwazaki plant, which can produce up to 7,219 megawatts, comes just as Tokyo faces the summer months of peak power use.