Tohoku admits secret shutdown

[Mainichi, Asahi 12 March] Tohoku Electric Power Company has admittedto the Japanese Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) that in1998 an automatic shutdown at Onogawa 1 was not reported either tocompany officials or NISA. Abnormal conditions triggered the automaticshutdown of the 500 MWe boiling water reactor while it was disconnectedfrom the grid and in the process of being shut down for a plannedcirculation pump inspection. NISA is investigating the incident, whichis an apparent breach of law, although the statute of limitations hasnow passed and no legal action would be taken. The admission followssimilar announcements by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and comesas part of a purge of all power companies' safety records after it wasfound that safety-related events had been unreported at somenon-nuclear facilities in late 2006.