Sugimoto omitted that the resumption of work in the old nuclear reactors of the region depended on storing the spent fuel outside the prefecture, according to a report by Asahi Shimbun daily.

Last October, Sugimoto said that he had to build a provisional storage facility for spent nuclear fuel outside Fukui, before authorizing operations in the two old nuclear plants.

One of the main concerns of local residents was that spent fuel would remain indefinitely on the plant grounds.

Fukui inhabitants fear a problem similar to that of the Fukushima power plant, damaged decade ago by an earthquake and a tsunami, and that currently stores tons of radioactive material, a danger for the environment that affects the inhabitants’ health.

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