Japanese energy company TEPCO has developed an AI system with its partners to accelerate the preparation of documents required for restarting nuclear reactors.
In Japan, operators must undergo regulatory inspections and obtain approval before restarting suspended reactors, building new nuclear plants or modernizing equipment. Preparing the required documentation can require significant amounts of time and staff.
For example, around 100 TEPCO specialists spent several months preparing documents for the restart of Unit 7 at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant. The documentation totaled approximately 70,000 pages.
The new AI system is designed to simplify the process and reduce the workload on specialists. TEPCO is also considering making the technology available to other major energy companies.
Before the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi accident, Japan had 54 operating nuclear reactors, which supplied around one-third of the country’s electricity. All reactors were subsequently shut down, followed by a gradual restart process under stricter safety requirements. Japan currently has 14 operating reactors, according to the source.
