February 24, 2014

Feb 24, 2014 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • The number of fuel bundles removed from unit #4 spent fuel pool stands at 374. There have been no reports of problems with the process, nor have any damaged, warped or heat-deformed bundles been found. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/decommision/index-e.html
  • More information on latest F. Daiichi wastewater spill – The overflowed tank had three valves on the inlet pipe, two of which were manually-operated and improperly left open and one power-operated unit that failed to remain closed. The problem was discovered shortly before midnight and the overflow stopped when the two manual valves were shut by workers at ~1:30am. Plant staff immediately began sopping up standing water outside the containing coffer dam and preparing sodden soil for removal. Zengo Aizawa, Director and Executive Vice President of TEPCO, said, “We are deeply embarrassed that this sort of unacceptable event would occur after the many steps we have taken to improve the management of stored water. We will therefore conduct a thorough investigation into what occurred and determine what additional steps must be taken to prevent any similar occurrence in the future, and will further strengthen field management of stored water. It also demonstrates the need for a permanent solution to the contaminated water issue.” http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2014/1234394_5892.html  While the news media in Japan continues to focus on the level of radioactivity of the water inside the tank (23 million Becquerels per liter), the Nuclear Regulation Authority has posted sample activity from the water inside the coffer dam, which is more than 7 times lower. The reading inside the dike is 3 million Bq/liter, a number neglected in news media reports. http://www.nsr.go.jp/english/newsrelease/data/20140220.pdf
  • An evacuation order will be lifted inside the 20km “no-go” zone for the first time. On April 1st, the Miyakoji District of Tamura City will be opened for unrestricted repopulation. The official cessation of the “advisory” cannot be made until the current fiscal year ends on March 31. The formal announcement was made February 23rd to all interested residents of Tamura. About 100 attended.  Industry Minister Kazoyoshi Akaba told the audience, ”The government does not have the right to delay the reconstruction of your life.” He added that radiation levels have dropped sufficiently due to the completion of decontamination work, and that necessary infrastructure for the district has been restored. District had a population of 358 before the evacuation was mandated. Residents were allowed to visit their homes beginning in April, 2012, and “long-stay” (overnight) visitation was allowed August-October 2013. Tokyo proposed lifting the evacuation restrictions in November of last year, but many residents reacted negatively over fears that some localized exposures could exceed 20 millisieverts/year. http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2014022300244 — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140224p2a00m0na015000c.html (comment – In the Mainichi article, an interesting number is posted. It says there are ~130,000 displaced persons in Fukushima Prefecture. Subtract the 75,000 current Fukushima evacuees, and we find there are about 55,000 quake/tsunami refugees. It is the first time I have seen this statistic.)
  • Tepco has received another $1.45 billion to cover evacuee compensation through March. This will bring the total of Tepco pay-outs to $36.2 billion.  http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2014/1234444_5892.html  Using Tepco’s monthly financial statement, we find that the total compensation paid by 2/21/14 was $34.6 billion. Of this, $13.7 billion (~40%) was paid to individuals ($160,000 each for 85,000 individuals), $16.9 billion (~49%) to corporations and sole proprietors, and $3.352 billion (~9.7%) to voluntary evacuees.  http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/comp/images/jisseki-e.pdf
  • Tsunami debris removal and disposal for Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures will be finished in March. The Environment Ministry says the completed work in Miyagi stands at 99% and Iwate is at 97%. Fukushima Prefecture, however, lags behind with only 68% of the debris removal finished. The three prefectures were the ones that bore the brunt of the tidal wave’s damage. The Ministry says that there was nearly 17 million tons of debris caused by the 3/11/11 tsunami and earthquake in Iwate and Miyagi, plus another 11 million tons of sea sediment was washed ashore and deposited. 89% of the sediment has been cleared. http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2014022100776
  • Tohoku recovery is being stymied by high material costs and land acquisition delays. 25 trillion yen was earmarked by Tokyo for population relocation costs caused by the tsunami, and planned to be spent by 2015. But, only 15 trillion yen has been spent since 2011. 60% of the 2011 and 65% of the 2012 budgets were actually used. The remainder was carried over into subsequent years or allocated to the region’s supplementary budgets. The reasons for material delays are two-fold. First, the cost of building materials in the Tohoku region has increased by an average of 50% over pre-disaster pricing. Plus, labor costs have doubled. As a result, 21% of the projects Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures have had minimum bids greater than the local budgetary ceiling and rejected. The national average for unsuccessful public works bids is 3%. Another major problem is buying land to build housing facilities away from the tsunami-prone shoreline. In some cases, the landowners were killed by the quake/tsunami so the issue of current ownership needs to be resolved. In other cases, candidate sites have been owned by many families for centuries and there are numerous legal successors for each plot. Getting them all contacted and in agreement has been a major problem. Thus, some candidate sites have been dropped from consideration because the issues seem unresolvable. The Reconstruction Agency established a new system in October to allow third-party custodians, such as lawyers, to buy and sell land in absence of owners who cannot be identified. So far, this has not made much of a difference. There is also a third problem – Tohoku is a mountainous region with steep slopes beginning near the coastline, limiting land available for refugee relocation. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140223p2a00m0na008000c.html
  • “Indirect” deaths in Fukushima Prefecture are greater than the number killed by the 3/11/11 quake/tsunami. The official mortality due to the natural catastrophe is 1607. Unlike those caused by collapsed buildings or drowning, indirect deaths are determined by municipal panels that examine links between the disaster’s aftermath and death. Fukushima Prefecture says the number of indirect deaths due to stress and related illnesses now stands at 1,656. One official said many people “have undergone drastic changes in their lives and are still unable to map out their future plans, such as homecoming, causing increased stress on them.” The indirect death toll for Fukushima Prefecture is significant because Iwate has had only 434 and Miyagi 879. Iwate and Miyagi had much higher loss of life (17,000) during the quake and tsunami than Fukushima (1,607). Officials feel the disparity is because 90% of the Fukushima indirect deaths were aged 66 or older. Causes of indirect deaths include physical and mental stress stemming from long stays at shelters, a lack of initial care as a result of hospitals being disabled by the disaster, and suicides. The yardstick for the determination is based on a model created by Niigata Prefecture following the earthquake of 2004. However, the Niigata data showed a severe drop-off in indirect mortality after a month, but this has not been the case with Fukushima Prefecture. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/02/20/national/post-quake-illnesses-kill-more-in-fukushima-than-2011-disaster/#.UwdpCcuYYdU
  • Five thousand Fukushima residents want $1,000 per month in emotional stress compensation. A petition on behalf of the residents will be filed on March 5. All of the claimants are from locations far outside the mandated evacuation zone: Fukushima City, Koriyama and Iwake. This is the first large-scale petition of its type concerning residents outside the evacuation zone. The Social Democratic Party encourages all Fukushima citizens to take part. Mitsuaki Karino, a member of the Iwaki Municipal Assembly who co-leads the citizens’ group, said, “Residents outside evacuation zones are also worried about the nuclear crisis. It’s unfair for TEPCO to discontinue what is only a small amount of damages after a short period. With the petition, we’d also like to prevent people’s memory of the nuclear disaster from fading.” The petition calls for lump-sum payments, ranging from $1,200 to $7,200 per person. The petition also calls for between $10,000 and $20,000 for each person for the distress experienced during the two years following 3/11/11. The petition adds that the claimants deserve compensation because prejudice and conflict among Fukushima residents has been caused by the compensation paid to evacuees. Finally, the submittal asks that compensation be paid until all local radiation levels are returned to pre-accident levels. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140222p2a00m0na011000c.html
  • Japanese antinukes are planning rallies for the third anniversary of the accident. Since 3/11/11 falls on a Tuesday, three activist groups will combine their efforts on the preceding Sunday, March 9th. Tokyo’s most active antinuke group, Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes, has been holding weekly antinuclear rallies near the prime minister’s office since the accident. They and two other groups said they will take part in a protest march from Tokyo’s Hibiya Park to the Diet building. Some Fukushima residents and musician Ryuichi Sakamoto will deliver speeches at the park. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2014/02/275653.html