The Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, western Japan, where a magnitude 7.6 earthquake occurred on the 1st, is the area with the largest concentration of nuclear power plants in Japan. However, since earthquakes have been frequent and the possibility of another earthquake is high, concerns are high.
According to the Asahi Shimbun, immediately after the earthquake, water poured out of the spent nuclear fuel storage facility at Unit 1 of the Shika Nuclear Power Plant in Ishikawa Prefecture, and the cooling pump was temporarily stopped, but was restored 30 minutes later. Unit 2 also received a report of ‘an explosion sound and a burning smell’ near the transformer. As a result of the investigation, it was confirmed that there were no signs of fire and that automatic fire extinguishing equipment was activated.
Hokuriku Electric Power Company, which is in charge of the Shika Nuclear Power Plant, said, “As the pressure inside the transformer increased due to the shaking caused by the strong earthquake, the device to discharge the pressure turned on,” adding, “This caused an explosion-like noise and activated the fire extinguishing equipment.” The explanation is that water leaked from the spent nuclear fuel storage tank in both Units 1 and 2, but it did not affect the outside as it remained within the building.
There are also a number of nuclear power plants in Niigata and Fukui prefectures, which are close to Ishikawa Prefecture, but no serious abnormalities have been found so far. Units 2, 3, 5, and 6 of Kashiwazakigariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Niigata Prefecture, the world’s largest nuclear power plant, said, “Some coolant leaked from the fuel storage, but treatment has been completed,” said Tokyo Electric Power Company, the management company.
Seismic activity has become more active near the Noto Peninsula since December 2020. Over the past three years, there have been 506 earthquakes of magnitude 1 or higher, and a magnitude 6.5 earthquake occurred in May last year. Kenji Satake, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Earthquake Research Institute, told NHK, “Seismic activity has continued on the Noto Peninsula in recent years and has increased in magnitude this time. “Activities will not suddenly calm down,” he warned, adding, “We need to be careful about earthquakes accompanied by tremors of up to magnitude 7 for about a week.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.