Tsuruga nuclear plant might be shut down

A government report says it rests on an active earthquake fault line.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said the location of the Tsuruga nuclear plant operated by Japan Atomic Power Company under what might be an active fault line raises the possibility the plant might be permanently shut down.

Tsuruga is one of six nuclear plants being investigated for active fault lines as part of a safety overhaul following the Fukushima disaster. Laws in Japan prohibit building reactors on active faults.

The NRA report indicates that Tsuruga should be decommissioned by its owners. This ruling can be appealed, however.

NRA said the crush zone running under the Tsuruga power station is very likely an active fault. The NRA in December conducted a two-day on-site survey at the plant about 30 kilometers north of Lake Biwa that supplies drinking water for the Kansai region

Japan Atomic branded the NRA’s preliminary report as totally unacceptable and said it will carry out studies to support its claim that the fault is inactive.