Japan: Sendai reactor continues to operate after earthquake

(Baonghean.vn) - Japanese nuclear regulators announced on April 18 that there was no need to temporarily suspend operations at the only nuclear plant on Japan's southwestern islands following the earthquake in Kyushu.

Sendai Nuclear Power Plant continues to operate normally after two earthquakes occurred on April 14 and 16. Photo: According to Internet

Officials from Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) met on April 18 to review the impact of the earthquakes on the Sendai nuclear power plant, located about 100 kilometers south of Kumamoto.

Officials said the maximum rate measured at the reactors at the Sendai plant was 8.6 gal, well below the 160-gal threshold that automatically shuts down the reactors.

The NRA representative also said that the earthquake-proof measures at the Sendai plant were applied to earthquakes much stronger than the ones that occurred on April 14 and April 16, so they did not cause any problems for the plant's operations.

NRA officials also looked at the impact on three decommissioned nuclear power plants in the Southwest and other areas affected by the quake. All three plants showed no signs of abnormalities.

They also directed the NRA Secretariat to provide details and updates on the operations of nuclear plants in the event of an earthquake.

NRA experts also said future seismic activity needed to be closely monitored after being criticized for being slow to update information on its website after the first earthquake hit the Kyushu region on April 14.

Thanh Hien

(According to NHK)