February 13, 2014

Feb 13, 2014 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Japan’s nuclear watchdog says no restart reviews will be finished before April. The Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said, “I think none (of the checks) will be completed by the end of this fiscal year,” which terminates at the end of March. Tanaka suggested that 10 of the 16 current applications are closer to being finished, most of which are in western Japan. The delay appears to be in utility upgrades for seismic protective measures. Kunihiko Shimazaki, in charge of assessments related to earthquakes and tsunami, said, “Some utilities have come to us without changing their style (from before the nuclear crisis), while others have actively used the latest method.” Most of the 10 nearest-completion applications are for Pressurized Water Reactor units with large, forgiving containment structures. F. Daiichi is a Boiling Water Reactor station with smaller, less-forgiving containments. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/02/12/national/no-reactor-safety-reviews-to-be-completed-by-end-of-march-nra-chief/#.Uvt_eMuYYdU
  • NRA Chairman Tanaka criticized Tepco for faulty groundwater contamination measurements. Last week, Tepco stated that one of the near-shore wells had ten times more radioactivity than had been reported in early July. The company said the problem may have been improper calibrations on one of their analytical devices for Strontium and other monitors for all-beta activity. Tanaka said, “Something like this cannot happen … this (data) is what becomes the basis of various decisions, so they must do their utmost to avoid mistakes in measuring radiation.” He added that measures to block the radioactivity from reaching the sea kept this from becoming a serious safety situation. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201402120080
  • Tepco has taken umbrage with Jiji Press over their reporting of the above incident. Jiji Press posted, “TEPCO did not disclose data of highly contaminated groundwater of Fukushima Daiichi [equal to] 5 million Bq last summer.” Tepco maintains that Jiji did not disclose that the water sample in question comes from July 5th, and that the analyzed result was duly reported to the NRA. It was not until February 5th that Tepco found the error when the Strontium level for that date’s sample was analyzed at 5 million Becquerels, but the previous all-Beta reading was only 900,000 Bq per liter. The all-beta should have been at least twice the Strontium activity, and not vice-versa. Re-analysis of the sample for all-Beta showed nearly 10 million Bq/liter. The error was reported to the NRA on February 6th. Tepco says the Jiji article is materially incorrect. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/announcements/2014/1234213_5932.html (comment – the Tepco announcement linked above makes it sound like Strontium readings should read higher than all-beta. However, the opposite is true. I believe the apparent contradiction is a translational matter as Japanese and American English syntax are quite different.)
  • The highest groundwater Cesium level ever recorded was found in a new well. Tepco drilled the new well about 50 meters from the shoreline near unit #2 to find out whether or not a highly-contaminated equipment tunnel is leaking into the groundwater. The new well shows is 54,000 Becquerels per liter for the isotope Cs-137 and 22,000 Bq/liter for Cs-134. The well’s activity is 30,000 times the levels found in a groundwater well to the west of the four damaged units, which is uncontaminated by leaks from the facility. The tunnel suspected to be leaking is planned for isolation from the surrounding groundwater by freezing the surrounding soil. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140213_22.html
  • The IAEA has offered to advise Japan on wastewater discharges to the sea. The International Atomic Energy Agency says it will suggest safety assessments for open sea releases, once the waste water has been purified to below international standards. The advice will include how to discharge Tritium, a very low-risk isotope of hydrogen found naturally in all open bodies of water around the world. In the latest IAEA report on Fukushima, the agency says, “The IAEA is ready to offer further advice to Japan on the suitable methodology to conduct the safety and environmental impact assessments associated with controlled discharges.” The international watchdog points out that risk to individuals from the suggested releases is “almost negligible”. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2014/02/272086.html
  • A city in Hokkaido will seek a court order to stop construction of a neighboring prefecture’s nuke. The mayor of Hakodate, Toshiki Kudo, said the suit will be filed in Tokyo next month. He reports that the city demands Tokyo stop Japan Atomic Power Company from finishing the first Ohma station unit and prevent filing for approval to commence operation. J-Power’s Ohma station is in northern Aomori Prefecture, which at its nearest point is 23 kilometers across the straights from Hakodate. This is the first time a governing body has threatened legal action against a nuke located in a neighboring prefecture. Construction of the Ohma Facility resumed in 2012 with the approval of local Aomori officials. Ohma Mayor Mitsuharu Kanazawa said he was aware of Hakodate’s plan to seek legal action but added that his position to support the Ohma station is unchanged. The application for operation of the facility is expected to be filed this spring. Ohma will be the world’s first nuke to operate entirely on mixed-oxide fuel fabricated from the recycling of spent fuel bundles. Hakodate city argues that a local government has the right to prevent its possible destruction, just as individuals have personal rights for guarantees of their lives and safety. They base their objection on the belief that approval for Ohma construction was based on pre-Fukushima design standards and can no longer meet the new NRA regulations for safety. In addition, Hakodate says consent for operation of a nuke should be required from the entire 30 kilometer nuke evacuation zone, and not just from hosting municipalities and prefectures. The action is being coordinated by lawyer Hiroyuki Kawai, who has been involved in numerous antinuke lawsuits since the Fukushima accident. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140212_35.html — http://fukushimaupdate.com/hokkaido-city-filing-suit-to-stop-construction-of-nuclear-plant-in-aomori/
  • The NRA says the geologic anomaly under the Oi nuclear station is not seismic. The fault in question, called F-6, shows no sign of activity and is not likely to move during an earthquake. Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said the decision was difficult for the NRA to make, but careful examination forced their judgment. This is the second such positive seismic finding by the NRA. The anomaly near the Tsuruga station was judged non-seismic last May. Units at the Oi station might move to the top of the list for 2014 restarts. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140212_20.html
  • Tokyo’s new energy policy will include nuke restarts. On the heels of the crushing defeat of antinuclear candidates in Tokyo’s gubernatorial election, the government will soon announce a national energy plan including nuclear as “a base-load energy source”. The position is set for adoption by PM Abe’s cabinet later this month. The basic policy was formulated by the Industry Ministry in December, but came under heavy antinuclear criticism for placing too much reliance on Japan’s nukes. The formal announcement of the policy was postponed while the government considered some terminological revisions, plus waiting for the outcome of Sunday’s election. The not-antinuclear outcome at the polls promotes confidence that the public will accept the new policy. The revision to the original plan includes the promotion of renewable electrical sources to reduce future reliance on nuclear. The new plan is expected to include development of fast breeder’s, but no time-table is known to be part of the policy statement. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001022634
  • A group of judicial scriveners have a nationwide helpline to counsel F. Daiichi evacuees on filing compensation claims. Scriveners are people certified by the Ministry of Justice to assist clients in filing real estate and commercial registrations, court documents, and legal affairs filings. They are not allowed to partake in formal litigation. The group believes there are many evacuees unfamiliar with filing for compensation so they will advise them free of charge. From the Press report, it seems some of the people calling them were not registered as living inside the mandated evacuation zone, but were residing there at the time of the accident and forced to evacuate with all registered citizens. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140211_17.html