Japan's Shika nuclear power plant maybe located on active fault, research finds

Tokyo, July 18 (ANI): Japan's Hokuriku Electric Power Co.'s Shika nuclear power station maybe located on an active fault, a research has indicated.

A research by the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) shows the fault, named S-1, which runs southeast to northwest within the plant's premises, moved sometime after 130,000 to 120,000 years ago.

According to the Japan Times, Hokuriku Electric Power conducted excavation surveys when it applied in 1997 to build a second reactor at the plant and claimed it found the fault "does not indicate activity."

The plant is currently shut down for scheduled safety checks and the state-ordered stress tests introduced because of the crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima No. 1 plant.

In a review of fault lines after the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011, NISA went through excavation data presented by Hokuriku Electric and concluded that the research indicated a strong possibility that S-1 may have been active in a relatively recent period.

Geological layers comprised not just of bedrock from ancient periods but also sand and pebbles dating back to 130,000 to 120,000 years suggest the fault was deformed, the report said.

It currently remains unknown if S-1 could generate a quake on its own or move in tandem if a temblor hits nearby active faults. The report revealed that given that another fault lies beneath reactor 2, if the two faults shake at the same time, it could endanger the plant.

Government regulations in Japan do not allow construction of a nuclear reactor above an active fault , therefore, if the fault is confirmed to be active, the Shika nuclear plant in Ishikawa Prefecture may not qualify to operate. (ANI)