90 F. KOPPENBORG
decommissioning the facility (NRA Commission 2015). The recommendation itself was not binding, but the NRA lent substance to it by publicly
threatening to shut down the facility at the heart of METI’s fuel cycle
ambitions. In December 2016, the government made the decision to
decommission Monju as it could not find a suitable operator (The Japan
Times 2017).
Slow Reactor Restarts and a Shrinking Reactor Fleet
Examining the number of restarts granted by the NRA as an indicator
for measuring its independence intuitively might seem like an obvious
choice. Taking the difference between submitted applications for security screenings and granted restart permits as representative of the degree
of regulatory independence makes the rather far-reaching assumption
that the first screenings are representative of all safety checks. Looking
at the strategy pursued in conducting security screenings, though, it
becomes clear that the assumption of representativeness is unsustainable
in this case. As the reactors which were screened first are the ones with
the least amount of required construction work and changes to fit the
new standards, it can be expected that the ratio of reactors passing the
screening decreases as time goes on. Thus, the ratio of granted permits to
applications is only telling once all screenings have been finished.
Looking at the bigger picture of safety screenings, how much time the
NRA took and how many reactors were decommissioned serve as better
indicators for regulatory independence. By 2018, the NRA concluded
safety reviews and approved restarts of 14 nuclear reactors (JAIF 2018).
This stands in stark contrast to PM Abe Shinz¯ o’s demand to review almost
50 reactors by 2016. Thus, the NRA resisted pressure from the pronuclear group to speed up the safety review process. With every additional
year the NRA takes for approvals, the older Japan’s fleet of nuclear reactors get. Reactors getting closer to the 40-year limit on operations means
that utilities must carefully assess whether additional safety investments
are worth it despite limited time in operation left to generate enough
revenue to make refurbishments a worthwhile investment.
The first step in the review process is electricity utilities submitting
a request for a safety review of a specific reactor. By 2019, requests
for a total of 26 nuclear reactors were submitted. Adding up the electricity generation capacity of these 26 nuclear reactors, it amounts to
decommissioning the facility (NRA Commission 2015). The recommendation itself was not binding, but the NRA lent substance to it by publicly
threatening to shut down the facility at the heart of METI’s fuel cycle
ambitions. In December 2016, the government made the decision to
decommission Monju as it could not find a suitable operator (The Japan
Times 2017).
Slow Reactor Restarts and a Shrinking Reactor Fleet
Examining the number of restarts granted by the NRA as an indicator
for measuring its independence intuitively might seem like an obvious
choice. Taking the difference between submitted applications for security screenings and granted restart permits as representative of the degree
of regulatory independence makes the rather far-reaching assumption
that the first screenings are representative of all safety checks. Looking
at the strategy pursued in conducting security screenings, though, it
becomes clear that the assumption of representativeness is unsustainable
in this case. As the reactors which were screened first are the ones with
the least amount of required construction work and changes to fit the
new standards, it can be expected that the ratio of reactors passing the
screening decreases as time goes on. Thus, the ratio of granted permits to
applications is only telling once all screenings have been finished.
Looking at the bigger picture of safety screenings, how much time the
NRA took and how many reactors were decommissioned serve as better
indicators for regulatory independence. By 2018, the NRA concluded
safety reviews and approved restarts of 14 nuclear reactors (JAIF 2018).
This stands in stark contrast to PM Abe Shinz¯ o’s demand to review almost
50 reactors by 2016. Thus, the NRA resisted pressure from the pronuclear group to speed up the safety review process. With every additional
year the NRA takes for approvals, the older Japan’s fleet of nuclear reactors get. Reactors getting closer to the 40-year limit on operations means
that utilities must carefully assess whether additional safety investments
are worth it despite limited time in operation left to generate enough
revenue to make refurbishments a worthwhile investment.
The first step in the review process is electricity utilities submitting
a request for a safety review of a specific reactor. By 2019, requests
for a total of 26 nuclear reactors were submitted. Adding up the electricity generation capacity of these 26 nuclear reactors, it amounts to