Government to tighten laws for nuclear plant operations

TOKYO: The government is set to tighten laws and regulations related to nuclear power plants, obliging operators of existing reactors to comply with the latest safety requirements and newly designating a maximum period for the use of reactors, government sources said yesterday.

The government has come up with the plan after weighing safety concerns about old reactors as well as the failure of the operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi power plant to properly upgrade safety measures in line with new scientific findings about the risk posed by tsunami, they said.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda's government plans to introduce relevant bills during the parliamentary session starting next month.

The revised laws and regulations will allow the government to order the suspension of a nuclear plant if its operator fails to meet the latest safety requirements, irrespective of the age of the facility, the sources said.

The tighter laws and regulations could force the operators of some reactors to decommission them if they cannot take any measures to meet the new standards, the sources added.

The government is also considering setting the maximum period for the use of a nuclear power station at around 40 years, they said.

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami seriously damaged the six-reactor Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex that Tokyo Electric Power Co. began operating in the 1970s.