Three stations in affected area along Japan’s west coast with tsunami warnings issued.
No irregularities have been identified at nuclear power plants following a series of strong earthquakes in western Japan and warnings of possible tsunamis, the country’s nuclear regulator has said.
Reactors at Kansai Electric Power’s Ohi and Takahama nuclear stations in Fukui Prefecture, to the north of the main earthquake site in Ishikawa Prefecture, appear not to have been affected by the earthquakes, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) added. Ohi has two units in operation and Takahama has four. The stations are about 20 km from each other and both in the affected area along Japan’s west coast.
Hokuriku Electric Power’s two-unit Shika nuclear station, about 250 km north of Ohi and closest to the strongest quake’s epicentre, has been offline since the 2011 Fukushima disaster and saw no impact from the quake, the NRA said.
It added there is "no risk of radioactivity leaking from nuclear power plants" in the areas affected by the earthquakes and tsunami.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said it is in contact with the NRA and the NRA had confirmed no abnormalities in nuclear power plants within the affected area. “The IAEA will continue to monitor the situation,” a statement said.
A succession of 21 earthquakes registering 4.0 magnitude or stronger struck central Japan in just over 90 minutes on Monday (1 January), the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The strongest tremor hit Ishikawa Prefecture at 16:10 local time (08:10 Central European time), measuring 7.6.
People along the west coast have been told to evacuate to high ground due to a tsunami risk.
Following a major earthquake in northeastern Japan in March 2011, a 15-metre tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima-Daiichi reactors, causing a major nuclear accident.
All the country’s commercial reactors were shut down following the Fukushima-Daiichi accident and are not allowed to restart until they have passed stringent new safety checks.
Before Fukushima-Daiichi, Japan’s fleet of 54 nuclear plants generated about 30% of the country’s electricity. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency that figure was 7.2% in 2021.
Among the 33 operable nuclear reactors in Japan, 12 have now resumed operations after meeting post-Fukushima safety standards.
The restarted plants are: Sendai-1 and -2, Genkai-3 and -4, Ikata-3, Mihama-3, Ohi-3 and -4 and Takahama-1, -2, -3 and -4.
Prime minister Fumio Kishida’s government wants nuclear power generation to play a greater role in efforts to cut carbon emissions and ensure stable sources of energy.