Japanese Court Cancels Installation Permits for Oi Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4

"Insufficient Earthquake Resistance" Residents' Appeal Upheld

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] On the 4th, NHK and other broadcasters reported that a Japanese court ruled to cancel the government's decision to approve the installation of Kansai Electric Power's Oi Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4, citing insufficient seismic resistance.

According to the report, the Osaka District Court ruled in favor of about 130 local residents who filed a lawsuit to cancel the installation approval, stating that the seismic resistance against a major earthquake was insufficient. This is the first time since new regulatory standards were introduced following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake in February 2011 that a court has canceled a government decision based on these standards.

Units 3 and 4 of the Oi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture passed the examination by the Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan under the new regulatory standards in May 2017. This year, Unit 3 has been shut down since July and Unit 4 since November for regular inspections. If the Japanese government appeals, the cancellation decision will not take effect. If the residents' victory is confirmed, Units 3 and 4 may not operate until they are re-evaluated under stricter seismic standards and re-approved.

Kansai Electric Power expressed "deep regret," stating that they cannot accept the ruling and will carefully review the details of the judgment and consult with the government to respond appropriately.

Kyodo News forecasted that "this may also affect other nuclear power plants that have been approved and restarted under the new regulatory standards."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.