Hole Found in Pipe at Japan Mihama Nuclear Plant: "Currently Shut Down, No Radiation Impact"

Two Holes Found in Reactor No. 3 at Kansai Electric Power Nuclear Plant in Japan
Manual Shutdown First Since 2011

Kansai Electric Power Company confirmed holes in the reactor cooling pipes of Mihama Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 in Fukui Prefecture, central-west Honshu, Japan, and has halted operations.

Mihama Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 Photo by Yonhap News

According to Japanese media such as public broadcaster NHK and Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) on the 10th, during an inspection of the nuclear power plant on the 5th, two holes with diameters of 6 mm and 3 mm respectively were found in pipes related to the equipment circulating water in the reactor.

Thinning of the internal pipe walls was confirmed around the holes.

Kansai Electric Power Company explained, "We manually stopped operations to investigate the condition of the pipes," and added, "There was no external radiation impact."

According to Nikkei, this is the first time Kansai Electric Power Company has manually stopped a nuclear power plant since December 2011, when Mihama Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2 was halted.

Mihama Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 began operations in 1976 and is scheduled for regular inspection in March next year.

Kansai Electric Power Company stated that the duration of the nuclear power plant shutdown has not yet been determined.