In response to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's draft policy to allow nuclear power plants to operate for over 60 years, the Nuclear Regulation Authority has established a new system to deal with the aging of nuclear power plants. I accepted the proposal.
Currently, the operating period of nuclear power plants is stipulated by law to be 40 years in principle and 60 years at the longest. In 2015, we compiled a draft policy to enable operation beyond 60 years.
In response to this, the Nuclear Regulation Authority discussed at the meeting on the 21st a proposal for a new system to deal with the aging of nuclear power plants that have been in operation for a long time.
Under the proposal, after 30 years from the start of operation, it is obligatory to check the deterioration status of equipment and facilities every 10 years or less, formulate a management plan, and obtain approval from the regulatory committee.
At that time, we will consider the expected deterioration in the future and check whether it meets the latest standards.
The Regulatory Commission has accepted the proposal, and after soliciting opinions from the general public and exchanging opinions with electric power companies, we will compile a bill to revise the law for next year's ordinary Diet session.
On the other hand, we will discuss the specific method of confirming the safety of nuclear power plants that have been in operation for more than 60 years.