21 Jan (NucNet): Tokyo Electric Power Corporation says it intends to “bolster” efforts to award compensation to those affected by the March 2011 Fukushima-Daiichi accident with total payouts expected to be in the region of 47 billion US dollars (USD) (34 billion euros).
In documents posted in English on its website, Tepco also said that as part of a new comprehensive business plan, it will improve the regime it has established for rebuilding the area around the nuclear station.
The utility, now under government control, will increase the number of personnel involved in the rehabilitation of Fukushima prefecture and create an internal decommissioning company to handle all decommissioning issues at the facility.
Decommissioning costs have been put at around USD 20 billion, the plan reveals.
Tepco said it intends to create employment in Fukushima by building a coal-fired thermal power plant and a number of research and development facilities.
The plan also involves pursuing the restart of at least two reactor units at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power station in northern Niigata prefecture.
The plan is a trilateral partnership between Japan’s central government, Tepco and financial institutions.
It focuses on – and substantially increases – compensation. It also addresses the decommissioning of Fukushima-Daiichi, nuclear safety and Tepco’s future business operations.
An agreement between Tepco and its biggest lenders includes more than USD 9.6 billion in cost cuts.
The ‘New Comprehensive Special Business Plan’ is online in English:
www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu14_e/images/140115e0205.pdf
