- The Nuclear Regulatory Authority has drafted a proposed outline for new nuclear safety regulations. The previously announced filtered exhaust vents and remote-operated emergency control rooms would be mandated. In addition, a high-volume water injection system is being considered which would be located in a separate building from the reactor and turbine buildings for each unit, an increase in the number of emergency power generators intended to prevent full station blackouts and new earthquake/tsunami criteria. The remote-operated facilities are intended to keep the reactor fuel cells safe in the event that the main control rooms need to be evacuated due to high radiation levels or otherwise become inoperable. In addition to the prevention of another Fukushima-like situation, the NRA is also considered terrorist attacks and aircraft crashes as the potential accident precursors. None of these types of accidents have been previously considered for nuclear safety prevention in Japan. Some of the new regulations might cause major renovations that could delay restarts for months, if not years – especially for Japan’s 26 boiling water reactor plants. The NRA presented the outline to a panel of experts who will review it for technical merit. The watchdog hopes to have the final draft completed by the end of the month so that the period of public review can begin in a timely fashion. The NRA says they are still on schedule for finalizing and enacting the new regulations by July. Unlike the Japanese process prior to 3/11/11 when it was essentially up to the utility companies to decide what safety measures to implement, the new system will make regulatory compliance mandatory. (NHK World; Mainichi Shimbun)
- Japanese nuclear utilities are disagreeing with part of the proposed boiling water reactor vent filtering requirement. The NRA proposes that boiling water reactors should have more than one filtered depressurization vent for each unit. The utilities argue that one filtered depressurization flow-path is sufficient to ensure “high reliability”, and installing more than one will be of “little help” in improving dependability. (Kyodo News)
- A type of rockfish called “murasoi” was caught inside the break-wall at Fukushima Daiichi with a Cesium concentration 2,500 times Japan’s legal limit. The analysis showed 254,000 Becquerels per kilogram, which is much greater than the 100 Bq/kg limit. The species is found off the coast of northern Japan in kelp beds and reefs where they feed on smaller fish and crustaceans. Because the murasoi is relatively high on the food chain, it naturally concentrates any contaminants contained in the fish and crustaceans it eats. The small port adjacent to the F. Daiichi station has been blocked with silt dams to prevent any leakage from the plant getting into the open sea. While it is likely that the caught fish’s extremely high Cesium level is due to it being trapped inside the port, it is unknown whether or not the species will be banned from the fishing business elsewhere. (Japan Today)
- Some of the subcontractors involved with Fukushima area decontamination may have failed to pay their workers properly in order to increase profits. Many workers receive a daily wage, but those in areas of higher radiation levels are supposed to receive an additional $100 per day “risk allowance” plus free room and board. Two subcontractors in Tamura City should have given some of their people the risk allowance, but haven’t. Their employee said there was no mention of the special pay when they were hired. Late last year, the workers were given new contracts which included the risk allowance, but their rooms and meals were deducted. Instead of $110 per day, they actually netted $67/day. Despite the subcontractors being able to rent living quarters from the government at low rates, or in some cases for free, the two in question placed as many as five workers in each residence and deducted the living allowance the same as for one per residence. The subcontractors were collecting up to $200 per week in room allowance for residences rented from the government for $50 per week, or much less. Since the money used to pay the men is government tax revenue, all of it should be paid to the workers without deductions for room and board. A public relations officer for a prime contractor said, “In the past, there were instances of danger pay not being properly turned over to workers; however, we are repeatedly informing subcontractors of the need to do so. Regarding labor contracts and other matters, we are providing individual guidance (to the subcontractors) to help ensure contracts are based on law.” (NHK World; Japan Today)
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