Ikata Nuclear Power Station Unit 3 Operational Provisional Decision Not Approved Hiroshima High Court January 17, 14:09
The Hiroshima High Court has issued a ruling on provisional disposal of Unit 3 of the Ikata Nuclear Power Station in Ehime Prefecture, which disallows operation. Currently, the operation is suspended due to periodic inspections, but it is expected that operation will not continue after April, when inspections end. It is the second time since 2017 that Ikata Nuclear Power Station Unit 3 cannot be driven by judicial judgment.
Three residents of the island in the southeastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture have filed a petition against Shikoku Electric Power to refrain from operating Unit 3 at Ikata Nuclear Power Plant. However, in March last year, the Iwakuni branch of the Yamaguchi District Court rejected Hiroshima High School. He was immediately appealing to the court.
In previous hearings, there was debate over the distance from the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant that there was an active fault that caused an earthquake, and the effects of a huge eruption at Mt. Aso in Kumamoto, about 130 km away.
The Hiroshima High Court reversed the decision of the Yamaguchi District Court Iwakuni Branch last year and issued a decision not to allow driving.
In 2017, a decision was taken by the Hiroshima High Court to refrain from driving the Ikata Nuclear Power Station No. 3, but a year later, another judge of the Hiroshima High Court canceled the decision and allowed driving.
The operation has been suspended since last month for regular inspections, but the provisional disposal takes effect immediately, so it is expected that operation will not continue even after April, when inspections end.
Shikoku Electric Power intends to file an objection to revoke the decision on the 17th, and if there is, it is expected that another presiding judge of the Hiroshima High Court will judge again.
Status of nuclear power plants nationwide
There are 15 nuclear power plants in Japan, excluding nuclear power plants whose decommissioning has been decided. Of these, nine of the five nuclear power plants, including the No. 3 Ikata nuclear power plant, have passed the NRA review of new regulatory standards.
Specifically, Units 1 and 2 of the Kawauchi Nuclear Power Plant in Kagoshima Prefecture, Units 3 and 4 of the Genkai Nuclear Power Plant in Saga Prefecture, Units 3 and 4 of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture, Units 3 and 4 of the Ohi Nuclear Power Plant, and This is the Ikata Nuclear Power Station Unit 3 in Ehime Prefecture.
In addition, 18 units, including the Oma Nuclear Power Plant in Aomori Prefecture and the No. 3 Shimane Nuclear Power Plant in Shimane Prefecture, have been submitted for screening as prerequisites for restart.