- 著者
-
中瀬 哲史
- 出版者
- 日本科学史学会
- 雑誌
- 科学史研究 (ISSN:21887535)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.42, no.228, pp.193-206, 2003 (Released:2021-08-12)
The purpose of this paper is to explain why the improvement and standardization of light water reactors were pursued in Japan, and to demonstrate what kinds of influences were brought by that. After the first Oil Crisis in 1974, Japanese nuclear power circle wanted to adopt the nuclear power as an alternative to the petrothermal power. However, operations of nuclear power plants in Japan confronted many troubles at that time, thereby lowering the operating rates of nuclear power plants and causing strong opposition among the people living in the vicinity of relevant sites. In 1975, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, together with the Japanese electric power and nuclear industries, embarked on the improvement and standardization of light water reactors in order to regain "reliability " of nuclear power generation. The project succeeded in improving reliability, which consequently increased the share of nuclear power generation and led a steady increase in plant construction. However, the "success " of this improvement and standardization project raised a new issue: An excess confidence in this technological attainment caused, on one hand, reluctance to invest fund for further technological improvement and, on the other, atmosphere not to permit prolongation of inspection period, together with the pressure for cost reduction under the circumstances of liberalization of electric power in progress since mid 1990s.