Japan's Nuclear Watchdog Adopts New Rules To Allow NPPs Operate Over 60 Years - Reports

TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2022) Japan's nuclear regulator has approved a plan to develop a new regulatory framework that would allow nuclear reactors to run longer than the 60-year limit, media reported on Thursday.

Under current legislation, the maximum lifespan of nuclear reactors is limited to 40 years, but can be extended for another 20 years if all requirements are met and verified.

Although the legal framework setting the maximum life span for reactors will be revised, actual discussions regarding reliability criteria and verification methods have been postponed, the Kyodo news agency reported.

Japan's nuclear regulator is expected to soon provide a detailed clarification of how to verify compliance with the new regulations, the report read.

In addition, a plan is expected to upgrade outdated facilities and replace reactors with more advanced ones to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while securing energy supplies amid an energy crisis, according to the report.

In August, Japan restarted the country's first reactor older than 40 years old at the Mihama Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui prefecture shut down after the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant in March 2011.