24 Jan (NucNet): An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) mission sent to Japan to review the country’s process for assessing safety at existing nuclear power plants has arrived in Tokyo for a nine-day visit.
The IAEA said that yesterday the 10-member team held “opening meetings” with senior officials from nuclear regulator the Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) and the Kansai Electric Power Company (Kepco).
The team was sent following a request from the Japanese government following the approval of the IAEA’s Nuclear Safety Action Plan by all IAEA member states in September 2011.
The plan outlines what needs to be done to strengthen the global nuclear safety framework, and calls for nations to “promptly undertake a national assessment of the design of nuclear power plants against extreme natural hazards”.
NISA has also prepared an approach to assessing nuclear power plant safety. The IAEA mission will review that approach and provide findings and recommendations to NISA.
