- The removal of spent fuel from F. Daiichi unit #4 has begun. Four spent fuel bundles have been uneventfully removed from their storage racks and placed in a transfer cask. Preparatory work began this morning at 9:50am (Japan Time) when the large polar crane was used to slide the transport cask into its specially-designed pit. The first fuel bundle was extracted from the pool rack at 3:18pm. Here’s Tepco’s initial Press release… http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2013/1232256_5130.html The company issued a subsequent Press release once the first day’s work was completed. One Japanese Press source said four bundles had been transferred. Here’s the Tepco “first day” statement… http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2013/1232257_5130.html Tepco also posted pictures of the transfer cask placement, removal of the first fuel bundle from its pool storage rack, and its transfer to the transfer cask storage pit… http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2013/images/handouts_131118_03-e.pdf Here’s a pic of the fuel handling technology posted last week…
- Much of the Press has made the first day of fuel transfer a lead story. In almost every case, the reports focus on the worst-case scenarios broadcast by foreign “experts” – exaggerated what-if stories created by the prophets of nuclear energy doom. Even the usually-objective NHK World has referred to these confabulated claims. Some news media also use the fear-inducing term “Plutonium” to enhance the proliferation of reader-angst, because the spent fuel bundles contain the element in a less than 1% concentration. Here’s a few prominent examples… http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/tepco-workers-prepare-to-start-dangerous-fuel-rod-removal?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2013-11-18_PM — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131118p2g00m0dm028000c.html — http://japandailypress.com/tepco-starts-radioactive-fuel-rod-removal-from-fukushima-reactors-1839644/ — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131118_30.html — http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201311180077
- Some news media outside Japan have joined into the fuel transfer “chorus” of focusing on the elaborated what-if scenarios intended to promote fear, uncertainty and doubt. Here’s one… http://news.yahoo.com/fukushima-operator-starts-hazardous-long-fuel-removal-105424437–finance.html
- NHK World has canvassed evacuees from Futaba to get their “spin” on the fuel transfer. Two of the cited individuals said they hope this will accelerate decommissioning so that they can return to their homes. Two others said they are concerned about the safety of the spent fuel transfer because of news reports saying the process is delicate and must be done with great precision. Their doubts have been generated by news reports alleging Tepco’s incompetence. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131118_31.html
Now, here are some other Fukushima Updates from over the weekend…
- There’s more information on the F. Daiichi unit #1 containment leak. Tepco has posted a Press release, graphics handout, and video on the unit #1 containment leak found Thursday. Tepco believes it is the “primary source of contaminated water leaks” from inside the Primary Containment of unit #1. Here’s the Tepco Press release… http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2013/1232195_5130.html Here’s the handout link… http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2013/images/handouts_131113_11-e.pdf The video link can be found at the bottom of the following link, for viewing and/or download… http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/date/2013/201311-e/130313-04e.html Two major news outlets have picked up on the discovery, The Yomiuri Shimbun (Japan News) and the Wall Street Journal’s Japan Real Time. The Yomiuri presents a very objective report, but Japan Real Time exploits the opportunity to re-hash the scare-mongering with Tepco’s unit #4 spent fuel removal. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000797189 — http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/
- There are 17,000 Fukushima government-built housing units for nuclear evacuees. The temporary units house about 30,000 people. The housing complexes are located in 25 Fukushima Prefecture municipalities. These facts are contained in a Japan Times article focusing on the ~500 units that currently need repairs and the 300 repair requests each month received by the non-profit Recycling Society Promotion Center. The number of units in the Times article should be compared to the few hundred such units the governments of Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures have built for the more than 250,000 tsunami refugees. Former PM Naoto Kan promised the tsunami refugees 27,000 such units, but the former regime’s fund-skimming and local political harangues have virtually stopped the program in its tracks. Once again, the Press cherry-picks problems with some Fukushima evacuees, makes it seem to be endemic, and ignores the far greater plight of the tsunami refugees. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/17/national/fukushima-evacuees-housing-units-crumbling/#.UojN7IEo4dU
- A Tokyo official hints at new nukes in Japan’s future. Liberal Democratic Party Secretary General Shigeru Ishiba says new nukes may be built after restarting the ones currently idled. Even if the use of renewable power sources increases, the building of new nukes cannot be ruled out. He did point out the new plants must be safer than those built in the past. He added that the party should consider a radical move toward resolving the nuclear waste issue. He suggested the government should just designate a location for a repository rather than wait for local resident approval. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131116_22.html
- The Oi nuclear station has no active faults beneath it. For more than a year, the Oi station has been the focus of Press scrutiny due to it having the only two units to have operated during the nuclear moratorium. One issue has been whether or not geological anomalies below the station are seismic. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority has brought in seismic experts to study the situation. Last September, the team said the anomaly was not seismic. The NRA approved the panel’s formal draft report on Friday. The document says there is no evidence of seismic activity over the last 130,000 years and there’s no possibility of future movement. NRA Commissioner Kunihiko Shimazaki said the panel’s decision was unanimous. The Panel did say, however, that there are some unstudied fault lines near Oi station that should also be investigated. The final report will be issued after four additional experts look at the data. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
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Some weeks before starting to remove spent fuel from F. Daiichi unit #4, Tepco’s posted an excellent video on the effort and a detailed Press handout. The Press handout addresses the most-often-reported objections and fear-predicated what-if scenarios common to the Japanese Press. http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/date/2013/201310-e/131030-02e.html
