19 July 2007
Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Plant (July 2007)
The Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Plant also suffered damage in a 2007 earthquake, resulting in leaks of nuclear materials.
© Greenpeace / Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert
Greenpeace offers its condolences to the victims of the earthquake, and to those who have lost loved ones.
Greenpeace is deeply concerned about the potential safety and environmental impacts of both the earthquake and tsunami on Japanese nuclear installations, as well as other hazardous industries such as chemical or oil refineries.
According to media reports, twenty reactors at four power generation plants have been shut down, and so far no release of radiation has been reported. Greenpeace is concerned about tsunami damage to nuclear installations such as the Fukushima nuclear power plant, which could affect reactor cooling systems and damage highly radioactive waste storage. Even if immediately shut down, reactors require active cooling and large amounts of cooling water to avoid the risk of overheating and meltdown.
Greenpeace is continuing to monitor what is clearly a rapidly unfolding situation. We hope that future investigations into the impacts on the nuclear installations, and how they affect the population and surrounding environment will be conducted independently and reported to the public.