13 August 2004

Japan nuclear plant deaths lead to safety checks

The Japanese company which runs a nuclear power plant where four people died last week is to shut down all its reactors to carry out safety checks, it has been reported today.

Four people were killed and seven others injured at Kansai Electric Power Company's Mihama plant when a jet of steam, topping 200C, leaked out from its No3 reactor. There was no radiation leakage and there was no danger to the inhabitants of Mihama, the company said.

Today, Kansai Electric said it would gradually bring all 11 of its reactors off line for safety inspections. The safety tests would be staggered so as to avoid power black outs.

The 826,000 kilowatt Mihama plant was taken off-line on August 4 while investigators examined the cause of the fatal accident.

This was the second safety problem at the Mihama plant. In February 1991, 55 tonnes of radioactive water leaked after a system failure in the No2 reactor.

The public's confidence in nuclear power, which provides around 30% of the country's electricity, was hit again in 1999 when two workers died in an incident in Tokaimura, north-east of Tokyo.

(gmcg)