November 17, 2014

Nov 17, 2014 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Radioactive water continues to seep into some equipment tunnels. Tepco says the attempt to stop the inflows from the connected turbine building basements does not appear successful. Plugging cracks with concrete at the points of inflow in the tunnels ended more than a week ago, but the problem remains, at least in part. If the inflow had completely stopped, the removal of 200 tons of water would have lowered the level in the trench by ~80 centimeters. However, it only dropped about 21 cm. The water is either coming from the turbine building/tunnel interface or groundwater is flowing in. Tepco says they will monitor the situation and do what they need to do, including possibly filling the tunnels with concrete if the problem persists. It should be noted that the Press continues to reinforce the questionable worst-case scenario that the contaminants are flowing from the tunnels and into the sea with groundwater. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141114_05.html — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141118p2a00m0na005000c.html
  • Fukushima‘s new governor wants all of the prefecture’s nukes scrapped. Governor Masao Uchibori met with industry minister Yoichi Miyazawa today and said he would like all of his prefecture’s nukes decommissioned, including the four fully-functional units at F Daini. He also urged Tokyo to take the lead in all decommissioning efforts. Miyazawa said there are no government procedures for compulsory decommissioning of functional units and that the decisions concerning F. Daini are up to the station’s owner, Tepco. Uchibori also wants a thorough explanation of Tokyo’s plans for the temporary storage of rural radioactive material in Okuma and Futaba. He stressed the need for close communication between the central government, Fukushima Prefecture, the affected towns, and local landowners. Tokyo wants to have plans in place for material transportation by the end of the year. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html – http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141117_26.html
  • The family of another suicide victim plans to sue Tepco. One month after 3/11/11, Tokyo ordered Iitate Village evacuated. 102 year-old Fumio Okubo chose to commit suicide rather than follow the government’s orders. Now, the family has plans to file a $260,000 lawsuit claiming Tepco culpable for Fumio’s death. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141114_30.html (comment – While the man’s death is tragic and Japanese law allows for this kind of compensation, the culpable party is the one that ordered the evacuation – the Tokyo government under the antinuclear Prime Minister, Naoto Kan.)
  • 2,800 Iitate evacuees want more money. The village, located 40-50 kilometers from F. Daiichi, remains evacuated and decontamination continues. About half of the pre-accident population feels they are not being adequately compensated for mental anguish, so they have filed with an arbitrator to try and have their monthly stipend tripled to more than $3,000. In addition, they want another $172,000 per person because they believe their lives have been ruined. The residents say that the prolonged evacuation is splitting local communities and families, plus the community’s history is being threatened. The group’s legal representative, Kenichi Hasegawa, says the evacuees feel this is the only way to fully express their anger over the prolonged government-mandated emigration. They want their lives back, but are not optimistic. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141114_34.html
  • Japan Atomic Industrial Forum posted summaries of recent developments. Topics for this week include Kansai Electric planning for a licensing extension, Shimane nuke station completes an emergency “base isolation” facility, Tepco’s removal of a second unit #1 roof panel, improved safety plans at Hamaoka Station are delayed by a year, and a new low-voltage mobile power source for Tohoku Electric Company. http://www.jaif.or.jp/english/news_images/pdf/ENGNEWS01_1416185623P.pdf