Japanese utility Kyushu Electric Power has secured approval to continue operating the 890MW No.1 and No.2 reactors at its Sendai nuclear power plant past their 40-year lifespan.
Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on 1 November cleared the Sendai reactors in south Japan's Kagoshima prefecture to extend their operational lifespan by 20 years to 60 years. The Sendai No.1 and No.2 reactors will reach their 40-year deadlines respectively on 3 July 2024 and 27 November 2025.
Japan's guidelines in principle limit a reactor's service lifespan to 40 years. But the rules allow nuclear operators to extend the lifespan by up to 20 years just once, with the permission of the NRA.
The latest update in the nuclear rules will also allow nuclear operators to use reactors beyond a maximum lifespan of 60 years, by excluding the time spent on increased safety scrutiny in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster. Any extension will require approval by the trade and industry minister, as well as safety confirmation from the NRA.
Tokyo is trying to restore more capacity at existing reactors to enhance energy security and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Japan's plan to cut GHG emissions by 46pc by the April 2030-March 2031 fiscal year, against 2013-14 levels, assumes nuclear will make up 20-22pc of the power mix, up from 6pc in 2022-23, requiring the restart of many more reactors.
Japan currently has 33 nuclear reactors, with 12 operational that comprise 11.6GW of power generation capacity. Five reactors have already passed the NRA's stricter safety checks, with eight reactors currently having inspections. The remaining eight reactors are not yet ready to have the safety review.
