October 30, 2014

Oct 30, 2014 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • An unexpected wind gust caused minor damage to the roof of the unit #1 outer cover. A crane was being used to spray anti-dispersal chemicals through holes drilled in the roof. The wind was measured at a steady 7 kilometers per hour. But, a sudden gust arose and caused the machinery to move, making an opening one meter wide and two meters long. No increase in airborne radioactivity was detected. Work was suspended to further investigate.  http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141028_20.html For a picture of the damage, click here… http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/date/2014/201410-e/141028-01e.html
  • The timetable for removal of fuel from unit #1 has been revised. It is now planned to begin transferring the 392 used fuel bundles from the fuel pool in 2019, rather than 2017. The removal of melted fuel is now set for 2025, rather than 2019. The schedule changes are due to several reasons such as the recent issue with dismantling the temporary cover around the unit, installation of special machines to facilitate debris removal, and installation of the cranes and other technology for used fuel removal. The 40-year timetable for complete facility decommissioning has not been affected. Tokyo and Tepco are also reviewing plans for used fuel removal from unit #2. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141030_05.html — http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201410300071
  • Cesium levels continually drop in the two wells which spiked last week. Last Wednesday, the Press reported that one well rose to 428,000 Becquerels per liter and the other to 458,000 Bq/liter. On Monday, NHK World said that the levels had dropped to 470 and 5,200 Bq/liter by last Friday. There has been no Press report on the levels since then. We have posted that the levels had plummeted to 1,000 and 3,700 Bq/liter by Sunday. On Wednesday (yesterday), the activities were down to 95 and 1,100 Bq/liter. Tepco says the wells are connected underground and may have cross-contaminated each other. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/f1/smp/2014/images/around_2u_14103001-e.pdf — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141028_13.html
  • American Dale Klein hails Fukushima’s “seven samurai”. Former NRC commissioner Klein praised Tepco’s efforts at F. Daiichi in his presentation to the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan. Referring to the seven decontamination systems at F. Daiichi, Klein said, “The ‘Seven Samurai’ represent significant progress in putting in place a comprehensive and sustainable water management plan.” He also addressed Tepco’s smooth shift from emergency response to the long-term tasks of decontamination and nuke station decommissioning, saying that “an important page has been turned”. Klein also pointed out that Tepco needs to do more. The company’s safety culture concept must be embraced by the entire chain of command so that individuals feel free to speak up, identify possible problems, and propose solutions. The full text of Dr. Klein’s presentation can be found here… http://www.nrmc.jp/en/news/detail/index-e.html#date_20141029-103000  (Comment – While reading Dr. Klein’s speech, I reflected on my days as a US Navy nuclear operator. All of us, down to the most junior staff member, were trained to “speak our minds”, respectfully of course. My first engineering officer evoked Hyman Rickover when he said, “Woe be the sailor who sinks this sub because he was afraid to speak up!” It seems Tepco has embraced this important safety concept.)
  • Klein also suggested that a U.S. utility inspect currently-idled nukes. Tepco they might follow the suggestion with respect to the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa station in Niigata Prefecture. Klein believes the opinion on safety by of an “experienced operator” from outside the Japanese nuclear community can only help Tepco’s efforts in resuming operations. He also believes the world’s largest nuke station at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa should now be considered for restart, “They have gone through and added back-up systems to back-up systems to back-up systems.” In addition, Klein said Kashiwazaki’s restart in Niigata prefecture and the situation with Fukushima should be considered separately, even though Tepco owns both. However, Niigata’s governor, Hirohiko Izumida, feels otherwise, “The Fukushima accident has not been thoroughly investigated and completely reviewed yet, so the idea of setting up new nuclear safety standards on that basis is questionable. The first step is to have a complete evaluation of what happened in the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident and where responsibilities lie. Until then we can’t be discussing restarting nuclear plants.” http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/30/national/tepco-may-ask-u-s-utility-to-inspect-kashiwazaki-kariwa-nuclear-plant/#.VFJGq6N0wdU
  • Completion of the Rokkasho used fuel recycling plant has been delayed for the 22nd time. Operation is now planned to begin in 2016. The project has been in the works for nearly 20 years. The president of Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited, Kenji Kudo released the new plan to Aomori Prefecture today. The company says this latest delay is due to the rigors of meeting the NRA’s safety standards. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
  • On Tuesday Satsumasendai City voted to approve the restart of Sendai station. Satsumasendai is the host community. 19 of the 26 assembly members approved resumption of operations, four were opposed and three abstained. Mayor Hideao Iwahiri immediately gave his approval, but added that a nuclear accident should be the responsibility of the Tokyo government which deemed the station’s safety adequate by the country’s new rules. While other local communities have protested the decision, Governor Yuichiro Ito rebuffed them saying they are not part of the legal process for restarts. It should be noted that the below link from Japan Times includes mention of a small fire at Genkai station, 5 kilometers from Sendai. The Times called it a “blaze” but other news outlets said it was merely a smoking circuit breaker – one is posted as an example. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/10/28/national/local-government-gives-ok-restart-sendai-nuclear-power-plant-kagoshima-prefecture/#.VE-bSKN0wdU – http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2014/10/319410.html
  • Residents of Shioya Town, Tochigi Prefecture, have petitioned to stop a proposed rural waste facility. The town is one of five designated for storage of the material generated by decontamination work in the prefecture. The Mayor of Shioya submitted the petition to the Environment Ministry on Wednesday. Shioya has a population of about 12,000, but the petition has some 173,000 signatures from all over Japan. The petitioners claim a permanent storage facility would threaten the town’s water supply and accelerate population decline. A resident’s group representative said he expects the Ministry to understand how strongly people feel about the government’s plan. The Ministry plans a meeting for the Prefecture’s mayors on November 9th. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141029_33.html
  • The NRA accepted a new earthquake assessment for Oi (Ohi) nuclear station. The Nuclear Regulation Authority approved Kansai Electric’s revised estimate increasing the worst-case quake intensity from 700 gals to 856 gals. The company says the new numbers will cause considerable reinforcement work at Oi, taking as long as a year to complete. The NRA will next examine Kansai’s revised tsunami estimates. In May, a district court ordered Kansai to not restart the two Oi units based on resident’s concerns. The two units were operated through the summer of 2013 without incident, and were the last nukes to have been shut down for the moratorium. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
  • An Asia-Pacific journalist says restarting Japan’s nukes is “akin to playing Russian roulette”. The article says that Japan’s new regulations should never be compared to other nation’s rules because the country is perennially threatened by massive earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, and is in the path of mega-typhoons. Although the writer admits the human damage due to the 2011 tsunami was far greater than the nuke accident, it is sloughed off by saying the tsunami refugees “are now pressing ahead with reconstruction plans…But not Fukushima [where] large swaths of the prefecture remain unsettled”. This misleading statement overlooks the undeniable fact that much larger swaths of Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures are also unsettled. Rather than continue rebuffing this quite opinionated article, read it yourself and decide… http://japanfocus.org/events/view/231?utm_source=October+27%2C+2014&utm_campaign=China%27s+Connectivity+Revolution&utm_medium=email