The Japanese Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) discussed the damages to a nuclear power plant after the devastating earthquake which struck the country on Jan. 1.
The authority called for studying whether it is necessary to review anti-quake procedures at the Shika Nuclear Power Plant in Ishikawa Prefecture and other plants.
Members of the authority indicated, in a meeting, that potential damage to the remaining transformers as a result from future aftershocks must be considered.
The Secretariat of the authority plans to accelerate the process of repairing the damaged transformers and identifying the causes of the damage, besides studying whether to review anti-earthquake procedures.
The town of Shika on the Sea of Japan coast, where the nuclear power plant is located, was among the areas hit by the earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale.
The earthquake damaged the transformer pipes used to supply energy from outside to the plant's two reactors, leading to the leakage of oil used for insulation and cooling. Part of the power supply system remains unusable.
The company operating the Shika plant, Hokuriku Electric Power, announced that the plant used other means to supply vital equipment with energy, such as that used to cool the spent nuclear fuel pools.
Both the plant's reactors No. 1 and 2 were taken offline long before the earthquake.
The earthquake that struck Japan on Jan. 1 killed 206 people.
