October 24, 2013

Oct 24, 2013 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • A trace of Cesium was detected 1 kilometer off-shore of F. Daiichi, and the Japanese Press again over-reacts. In an October 18 sample of open seawater, Tepco detected 1.6 Becquerels per liter of Cesium-137, which is 0.3 Bq/liter more than minimum detectability. It is far below the 90 Bq/liter limit for open release. The sampling location is the same one that showed 1.4 Bq/liter a few weeks ago. Although detectable, Tepco says it poses little or no environmental risk. The company would not speculate on where the miniscule level of Cesium has come from, pointing out that none of the other open sea sampling locations have shown any Cesium at all. It should be noted that the sample also contained 6.4 Bq/liter of non-hazardous Tritium (radioactive Hydrogen). http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/2013/images/seawater_map-e.pdf — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131022_31.html
  • Tepco has posted a detailed breakdown of their extensive rainwater countermeasures. It shows what is being done with each of the 23 tank clusters and the radioactivity found inside each of the containing coffer dams. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2013/images/handouts_131021_07-e.pdf  One groundwater sampling point inside the tank complex showed 400,000 Bq/liter of all-beta activity on October 17. Tepco feels the sharp increase (61 Bq/liter on October 16) was due to the extreme rainfall of Typhoon Wipha which caused isotopes in the soil to be flushed deep into the ground. The soil contamination is believed to have come from last month’s 300 tons of leakage from a tank 10 meters from the sampling well. Tepco’s near-shore seawater samples show no increase resulting from the tank complex’ groundwater contamination. By Tuesday, the well activity had dropped below 300,000 Bq/liter for all-beta, and 500,000 Bq/liter of Tritium. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2013/1231539_5130.html
  • As another Typhoon seems poised to strike Japan, Tepco has bolstered their ability to deal with high rainwater runoff. The company has added 19 more pumps to drain accumulated rainwater from inside the barriers around the 23 groups of wastewater storage tanks. The combined flow rating of the pumps is 60 tons per hour, which is a factor of four increase and should be more than sufficient. Tepco has also fitted the pumps with larger discharge hoses in order to insure maximum flow at all times. Waters will be tested for activity before pumping. Water above Tepco’s self-imposed limit of 25 Bq/liter (Cs-137) will be pumped to storage. Water below the limit will be discharged to the sea. Tepco also said they greatly underestimated the amount of rainfall that has recently occurred, which spurred the installation of new pumps. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131022_11.html
  • Tepco is moving water from inside six tank-cluster coffer dams to an underground reservoir. This is being done in anticipation of another Typhoon bearing down on the island nation from the south. All six dam waters have been analyzed and found to have Strontium-90 activity greater than Tepco’s self-imposed limit of 10 Becquerels per liter. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2013/1231662_5130.html
  • Drainage water in a barricaded ditch at F. Daiichi contains a total beta activity of 140,000 Bq/liter. The activity has been rising ever since the ditch was closed by sandbags earlier this week. The water from the ditch is being transferred to above-ground tanks. The source of the contamination is believed to be contaminated soil entrained in rain runoff caused by two recent typhoons. There is no evidence of any tank leaks at this time. In addition, it seems the sandbag barricade has been successful because there has been no impact on any of the near-shore seawater sampling points. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2013/1231673_5130.html — http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/2013/images/south_discharge_13102401-e.pdf
  • Tepco has moved the start date forward for unit #4 spent fuel removal. Previously, the company planned to begin in mid-to-late November, but now says the onset will be in the early part of the month. All of the more than 1500 fuel bundles will be transferred to a large common pool in a nearby storage building designed specifically for this purpose. The building is on ground level. Approval of the removal equipment has to be approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority before the work can begin. It is believed the transfer of all fuel bundles from the spent fuel poll will be finished by the end of 2014. Spent fuel removal will mark the next major milestone in decommissioning of the F. Daiichi complex.  http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/23/national/tepco-eyes-fuel-removal-from-fukushima-reactor-4-pool-in-early-november/#.UmkS7YHD8dU
  • Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party is investigating amalgamation of all the nation’s nuke plants. The single company would be co-owned by nine private utilities and wholesalers Japan Atomic Power and Electric Power Development Companies. The idea was revealed by Taku Yamamoto, chair of the party’s energy committee. Profit from electricity sales would funnel toward the cleanup efforts at F. Daiichi. Yamamoto said, “The plan is based on Tepco’s profits covering Fukushima costs without taxpayers’ money and to increase the government’s role in the nuclear industry. Who’s going to like a bankruptcy of Tepco? The company has to go on working hard for the Fukushima disaster until it dies.” Tepco declined comment on the announcement. Regardless, the business move would allow customers to choose which of the companies they want to buy from. Yamamoto commented on the possibility, “The power industry reform bill would help stop utilities’ dominance in Japan and encourage more newcomers from home and abroad to enter the mature power market.” http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/23/business/ldp-mulls-amalgamating-all-nuclear-plants-under-one-firm/#.UmfGqIHD8dU
  • Japan’s largest newspaper says nukes must be restarted. The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun) believes Japan’s “snowballing” trade deficit cannot be abated as long as “the nation’s wealth continues to pour out of the country. The government must do everything in its power to enable Japan to rebuild itself as a trade-oriented nation.” Japan has experienced an April-to-September shortfall of #49 billion, and it continues at a rate of nearly $10 billion per month. The News states, “The trade deficit has primarily stemmed from the sharp rise in Japan’s imports of fuel for thermal [fossil-fueled] power plants” as an alternative to the currently-idled nukes. By the end of this year, the total deficit since 3/11/11 will top $90 billion. Residential rates have increased by an average of $18 per month. Comparatively, the rates for corporate customers have risen even more. However, these cost increases have not come close to covering the financial crunch due to the nuclear moratorium. In order to achieve financial health in the business sector, the News believes “…it is essential to establish a system that guarantees a stable supply of cheap electricity.” http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000740058