Pipe Seawater Leak Accident Occurs at Unit 3 of Japan Oi Nuclear Power Plant

Kansai Electric Power "No Safety Issues"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A seawater leak occurred in the piping system of the Oi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture, Japan.

According to Kyodo News on the 4th, Kansai Electric Power Company, which operates the plant, announced that at around 5:06 a.m. that day, an alarm sounded as the water accumulated below the turbine building of Unit 3 increased beyond normal levels.

Kansai Electric conducted an inspection to check for leaks and confirmed that seawater was leaking from a pipe supplying seawater to the condenser, which removes the latent heat of vaporization from steam and converts it back into water.

Accordingly, Kansai Electric stopped the operation of one of the two pumps connected to the leaking pipe, causing the power output to drop from 100% to about 65%.

Kansai Electric stated that there was no release of radioactive materials and that there are no safety concerns.

During inspections since July last year, a 4.6 mm deep scratch was found on the welded section of the piping around the steam generator of Oi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3.

Kansai Electric replaced the scratched pipe and resumed operation of the reactor last month.

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