September 16, 2013

Sep 16, 2013 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Tepco’s American consultant Lake Barrett says the waste water at Fukushima must eventually be released to the sea. However, he said the currently-stored waters must be stripped of their radioactive isotopes until the lowest possible levels are achieved. In addition, the Japanese public’s trust must be regained. “They should start pumping as soon as practical,” said Barrett, adding that the release must include groundwater too. “I believe in a matter of a few months … early next year… water will be cleaned up and be ready to be discharged.” However, once the wastewaters are sufficiently cleansed, regaining public trust will be difficult, Barrett says, “When TEPCO says: ‘Trust me, this water is safe,’ that’s not enough.” He feels it will take the input of international experts to turn the tide of public opinion. http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-must-release-fukushima-water-into-sea-u-s-adviser?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2013-09-15_AM
  • The staff at F. Daiichi is taking extraordinary measures to handle powerful typhoon Man-yi. Torrential rains and high winds are hammering central and northern Honshu, Japan’s main island, forcing as many as 400,000 people to evacuate their homes. In preparation, workers at Fukushima have weighed-down large cranes and tied down outdoor pumps and piping in an effort to weather the storm. Other pressing concerns focus on preventing the torrential rains from increasing the in-flow of water to the turbine building basements of the four damaged units, and removal of rainwater run-off from the wastewater storage tank complex further inland. Water has already overflowed some of the coffer dams around wastewater tank groups and is flowing into the nearby drainage ditch. A sample of the water in the ditch has 37 Becquerels of “all-Beta” activity per liter, far below the limit for releases to the sea. Tepco is also using temporary pumps to reduce the build-up throughout the tank complex and discharging the water into the station’s drainage system. Since the detected activity is thousands of times lower than that found inside the wastewater tanks, Tepco is sure the contaminants are entirely due to the rainwater run-off. Due to the continual heavy downpour (over two inches per hour), the company has no choice but to allow the very-low-level radioactive run-off to continue flowing into the sea beyond the inner barricaded quay. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130916_13.html — http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2013/09/246542.html
  • One Tepco official has said the wastewater situation at Fukushima Daiichi is not under control. Kazuhiko Yamashita, an Executive Fellow at the company, was “grilled” by opposition lawmakers about conditions at F. Daiichi until he reluctantly said, “I think the current situation is not under control.” Immediately, the Japanese Press twisted his meaning and broadcast that he had contradicted PM Shinzo Abe’s statement at the recent IOC meeting in Buenos Aires, where Japan was awarded the 2020 Games. Tepco’s official response to the Press reports was, “It is our understanding that prime minister intended his statement ‘the situation is under control’ to mean that the impact of radioactive materials is limited to the area within the port of the power station…According to this understanding, we share the same views.” Abe’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga echoed the Tepco statement by explaining the PM meant the possible contamination “remains inside the port”. Abe plans to visit F. Daiichi on Thursday in the hope of deflating the issue. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130914p2g00m0dm007000c.html — http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/09/13/national/tepco-tech-chief-disputes-abes-under-control-assertion-2/#.UjRjRuvD8dU
  • The build-up of low-level wastes from Fukushima’s residential decontamination effort continues. Of the more than 500,000 tons of wastes accumulated so far, some 150,000 tons has yet to be sent to approved storage locations and remain in open areas where the wastes were generated. The lack of enough storage sites is due to local residents fearing radiation and having suspicions that temporary sites will become permanent. Some local officials feel Tokyo should forge ahead with building storage facilities because once construction starts, local concerns greatly diminish. Of the 372 planned storage locations, only 139 have been built. 23 of the 36 communities involved have not yet allowed any site to be built.  The municipality with the most radioactive waste yet to be stored is Nishigo with 40,000 tons, followed by Motomiya with 39,432 tons and Tamura with 17,800 tons. Iwaki city says they have more than 29,000 bags of material awaiting temporary storage. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000558331
  • The Nuclear Regulation Authority will conduct 600,000 seabed tests for radioactive Cesium. The agency feels the data will be critical in assessing long-term impacts on sea creatures. So far, the NRA has conducted about 200 tests of the sea bottom, but decided to expand their program due to the recent concerns caused by wastewater issues with F. Daiichi. The area to be tested will cover 1,000 square kilometers off the coast of the nuke station, extending 50km north and south, and 20km east and west. The NRA hopes to have the results compiled by the spring of 2014. An NRA official said, “If we can check where cesium is accumulated by comprehensively covering the seafloor that has yet to be surveyed, we can utilize the data to control contamination.” The watchdog intends to use the data in the hopes of explaining the actual risks to the public and dispel rumors and unfounded concerns. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000600148
  • Japan is once again devoid of electricity from nukes. On Sunday, Oi unit #4 was shut down for routine maintenance and refueling. With unit #3’s shutdown earlier this month, there are no longer any nukes operating. How long Japan will remain “nuke-less” is speculative because of slower-than-anticipated NRA processing of restart applications and local political opposition to some of the 12 nukes that applied for resumption. In Fukui Prefecture, home of the Oi units, local politicians are frustrated with the NRA for dragging out the restart process. Governor Issei Nishikawa says, “Safety is important, but if you waste time, that too has an effect on safety. The Fukui nuclear power plant sites have a long history and respond to risks. My position is therefore different from other prefectural governors [who oppose restarts].” Nationally, Japan’s economy needs the nukes restarted since the cost of natural gas and oil imports to cover the political moratorium have skyrocketed since 2011. In 2012, fossil fuel imports were $32 billion greater than in 2010, and the increase this year is expected to top $38 billion. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/09/14/national/idling-of-oi-no-4-unit-to-again-halt-all-atomic-power/#.UjRTGevD8dU
  • About 8,000 people marched against nuke restarts in Tokyo on Sunday. The well-organized demonstration coincided with the shutdown of the last operating nuke unit in Japan at the Oi station. Chief organizer, Nobel Laureate Kenzaburo Oe, said “We want to keep telling what is happening at Fukushima even though everybody is talking about the Olympics. Let’s hand down an environment in which children can live without fear.” Writer Keiko Ochiai used the occasion to blast PM Shinzo Abe’s statement that F. Daiichi is under control, “Can you say the situation is under control even though contaminated water keeps leaking?” A voluntary Fukushima evacuee, Katsumi Hasegawa, said “With the future of my children tainted, I have realized that radiation and human beings cannot coexist.”  http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130915p2g00m0dm013000c.html  Meanwhile, former PM Naoto Kan pleaded with Taiwan to not build any more nukes. At a Taipei antinuclear rally, Kan said, “Nuclear power is not cheap and [is] as a matter of fact quite risky. It takes a long time for radiation to decay. We should ask ourselves whether it is responsible to leave it for our children and grandchildren to take care of.” Taiwan has a pending proposal before its legislature for a national nuclear referendum. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/09/15/national/kan-exhorts-taiwan-to-ditch-nuclear-power/#.UjW-G-vD8dU