Hokuriku Electric Power Submits Revised Nuclear Disaster Prevention Business Plan for Shika Nuclear Power Station

Hokuriku Electric Power Company announced on August 31 that it has submitted revisions to the "Nuclear Operator Disaster Prevention Business Plan" for the Shika Nuclear Power Station to the Prime Minister of Japan and the Nuclear Regulation Authority for filing.

The plan is formulated under Japan's Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness, and primarily stipulates the operations required of nuclear power stations in nuclear disaster prevention, emergency response, post-nuclear-disaster response, as well as preventing the occurrence and escalation of nuclear disasters and promoting recovery efforts.

Hokuriku Electric Power stated that consultations with Ishikawa Prefecture, Shika Town, and Toyama Prefecture have been completed for this revision. Under relevant Japanese laws and regulations, when a nuclear power operator intends to revise such a plan, it must submit the draft to the relevant prefecture, municipality, and neighboring prefectures 60 days prior to the revision date for consultation; upon completion of the revision, it must promptly file the plan with the Prime Minister and the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

According to the published revision summary, the adjustments include: due to amendments to public notices under the Basic Act on Disaster Management, adding the "Digital Agency" to the designated administrative agencies defined in the plan, and adding the "Chubu Administrative Evaluation Bureau" to the designated local administrative agencies; due to revisions to the Nuclear Emergency Preparedness Guidelines, deleting statements related to warning conditions concerning the "issuance of Tokai Earthquake prediction information or Tokai Earthquake caution information," with corresponding adjustments to article numbers and certain terminology.

In addition, the revisions include deleting references to "accumulated dose meters (thermoluminescent dosimeters)" for borrowed equipment and materials that are no longer listed in the Ishikawa Prefecture Regional Disaster Prevention Plan; and because communications with the Hakui Police Station and other agencies have been changed to route through the Ishikawa Prefectural Police Headquarters, the original communication route descriptions have been correspondingly deleted from the plan. Hokuriku Electric Power has also adjusted statements and format notes related to the dispatch of various personnel based on actual operational conditions.