Current Status of Seismic Safety Enhancement for PWR Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract

This paper presents the current status of the seismic safety enhancement for the pressurized water reactor (PWR) nuclear power plants of the Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO). KEPCO made significant upgrades to seven units, including incorporating new measures to meet new safety regulations in the wake of the Fukushima accident. For assuring the seismic safety, various measures were taken such as the exhaustive evaluation to prove the sufficient seismic resistance and the reinforcement works to improve the seismic performance. As a representative example, the seismic safety measures used for Mihama unit 3 are reviewed and summarized in this paper. Also, the future expectations for the development of the seismic design methods and the seismic retrofitting measures are described briefly.