- TEPCO workers are preparing for the removal and storage of spent fuel from unit #4 at Fukushima Daiichi. First, a large special crane will be built in order to remove the spent fuel bundles. Next, a ~10,000 cubic meter enclosure will surround the upper reactor building to prevent possible spread of radioactive materials during the removal process. The crane and cover are expected to be finished by autumn of 2013. TEPCO’s report and diagrams can be viewed here… http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu12_e/images/120416e0201.pdf
- TEPCO will be sending a new robot inside unit #2 later today to inspect the suppression chamber (torus) and containment structure for damage. A brief, preliminary inspection several weeks ago revealed no cracking or deformation in the structures. This new examination will be more detailed since the robot will be able to stay in the area much longer than the workers who entered earlier. TEPCO hopes the inspection will reveal what repair work needs to be done (if any) before the Primacy Containment can be filled with water and begin removal of damaged fuel. (JAIF)
- US Senator Ron Wyden recently visited F. Daiichi and said the condition of unit #4 was far worse than he expected. “Seeing the extent of the disaster first-hand during my visit conveyed the magnitude of this tragedy and the continuing risks and challenges in a way that news accounts cannot,” said Wyden in a letter to Ichiro Fujisaki, Japan’s ambassador to the United States. Wyden said he was most worried about spent fuel rods stored in fuel pools, and urged the Japanese government to accept international help to prevent further release of the radioactive material if another severe earthquake should happen. He added that the only protection for the pools from another tsunami appeared to be “a small, makeshift sea wall erected out of bags of rock.” (Japan Today)
- Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshito Sengoku came under fire Tuesday for saying it would be suicidal if Japan leaves all its nuclear reactors offline. “We have to consider what it means to try and live without nuclear reactors. In a way, failing to restart the reactors is like committing mass suicide,” he said according to Fuji TV. The official Tokyo position is that two reactors at the Oi nuclear power station should be restarted to avoid power shortages in the summer. (Japan Today)
- The governors of Shiga and Kyoto jointly announced 7 demands they want addressed before restarting Oi units #3 & 4. The proposal calls on the government to seek independent advice from nuclear experts before making a decision to restart the reactors, a third-party panel to verify the region’s power supply-and-demand estimates for the summer, and they want the government to prove why the reactors must be restarted before an official inquiry into the Fukushima accident is complete. They are also seeking a firm timetable for ending the nation’s dependence on nuclear power. Kyoto Governor Keiji Yamada said the 2 prefectures want the government to understand precisely what the issues are. (NHK World)
- Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura denied that the government is rushing to reactivate Oi units 3 & 4. Fujimura said no deadline has been set for local discussions on restarting the reactors. “As I have continuously stated, the understanding of the locals will be a major factor” when determining reactivation, he said. “There are no legal grounds that say (consent) is a necessary requirement, but we are proceeding with measures decided last July” to hold two-stage stress tests. Local leaders slammed last week’s declaration of safety by Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and three other ministers, accusing them making hasty conclusions. Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto declared war on the government, stating that the ruling party (DPJ) needs to be unseated in the next general election. Fujimura urged Hashimoto to refrain from making reactor restarts a political issue. “I don’t think (the reactors) should be the issue of focus when seeking the judgment of the people. I don’t think we should make it too political. . . . We need to put our heads together to think realistically about this summer to overcome power shortages,” Fujimura said. (Japan Times)
- Nahara Town has scrapped plans to repopulate in April due to an outpouring of public angst and governmental distrust. During the repopulation announcement in Iwate on April 11, local residents cried that the move is just another attempt to fool everyone into thinking the accident is over. Some of the criticisms included, “How will you extract the melted fuel from the reactors?” and “How can we believe you when you say, ‘It will be safe after decontamination’ even while radioactive material leaks continue?” To add to the chaos, one person said, “We need safe air and water for our children,” while another claimed “We are not guinea pigs!” The severity of the criticisms shocked Kensuke Tomita, deputy head of the Cabinet’s Nuclear Emergency Response Headquarters, who said, “I never thought there’d be this much of a backlash.” As a result, the town’s officials no longer support Tokyo’s desire for repopulation, even though the radiation exposures are well below the new, revised national standards. (Mainichi Shimbun)
- About ten anti-nuclear activists have begun a hunger strike to protest restarting Oi units #3 & 4. The group began the strike on Tuesday in front of the industry ministry in Tokyo. The group maintains the accident at F. Daiichi is not over and the causes of the accident remain uncertain, thus they cannot approve the Oi restarts. The hunger strike will continue until May 5th, when the country’s last operating reactor is set to go offline. The group has been camping in tents at the ministry since September, demanding the immediate and complete abolition of nuclear energy in Japan. (NHK World)
- A fellow nuclear blogger in America has posted an excellent article on the differences between actual risk and perceived risk. Steve Skutnik of The Neutron Economy references a study at Yale University to support his view. He says, “Many times, people will blithely accept particular risks – driving, air travel, smoking, certain recreational activities – and yet recoil in horror at the unarguably lower risks presented by technologies such as nuclear energy…despite the fact that flying is safer than driving, people perceive the latter to be less safe due to other, outside factors.” I recommend it to everyone… http://neutroneconomy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/cultural-cognition-of-risk-and.html#!/2012/04/cultural-cognition-of-risk-and.html
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