Japan greenlights upgrades to 825MW Onagawa-2 nuclear reactor

The reactor had suffered from an earthquake previously.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has finalised the compatibility test of the 825MW Onagawa-2 nuclear power plant for new regulatory standards. According to a Japan Industrial Forum (JAIF) report, NRA has then issued permission to its operator Tohoku Electric Power Co., to make changes to the reactor installation.

Last November, the NRA issued a draft review report for Onagawa-2, which was then referred to the Japan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), after which it was opened to the public for comments. The reactor becomes the 16th NPP to clear its examination for compatibility with the new regulatory standards, and the fourth boiling water reactor (BWR).

Tohoku Electric had originally filed an application to the NRA for a compatibility examination of Onagawa-2 in December 2013. JAIF added that NRA exercised caution in examining the unit as it had experienced an earthquake.

Tohoku Electric Power has been proceeding with work on safety measures, and expects to complete all of them—including a 29-metre seawall—by the end of the upcoming fiscal year in March 2021.