高浜３、４号機、運転延長認可　最長２０年、国内７、８基目―規制委

　原子力規制委員会は２９日、運転開始から４０年が迫る関西電力高浜原発３、４号機（福井県高浜町）について、最長で２０年間の運転期間の延長を認可した。延長が認められた原発は国内７、８基目。３号機は２０２５年１月、４号機は同年６月に４０年を迎える。
　３、４号機は１９８５年に運転を開始。関電は特別点検などを実施した上で２３年４月に延長を申請した。規制委は２９日の定例会で、原子炉容器などへの超音波や目視による検査で問題は確認されておらず、運転期間を延長するための基準に適合していると判断した。（2024/05/29-17:48）

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday approved operating life extensions of up to 20 years for two more reactors at Kansai Electric Power Co.'s Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui Prefecture.
   The Takahama No. 3 and No. 4 reactors are the seventh and eighth to receive such approval in the country. They began operation in 1985 and will reach 40 years of operation in January and June 2025, respectively.
   Kansai Electric applied for the extensions in April last year after conducting special inspections of the reactors. The NRA concluded at a regular meeting on Wednesday that the reactors met the standards for extended operation, as no problems were found in ultrasonic and visual inspections.
   Before the Takahama No. 3 and No. 4 reactors, the Takahama No. 1 and No. 2 reactors, the No. 3 unit at Kansai Electric's Mihama nuclear plant, also in Fukui, Japan Atomic Power Co.'s Tokai No. 2 plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, and the No. 1 and No. 2 units at Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Sendai plant in Kagoshima Prefecture had been allowed to operate beyond 40 years.
   The green transformation electricity law, enacted in May 2023, allows nuclear reactors effectively to operate beyond 60 years by not including periods of suspension for regulatory inspections.