- 98% of the fuel bundles are removed from unit #4. All used bundles have been transferred to the ground level common storage facility for more than a month. The only bundles that remain (26) are unused. It seems that the last unused bundles will be removed within a week. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/decommision/index-e.html
- Evacuee financial indemnification now tops $45 billion. Cash compensation pay-outs are nearing $20 billion for the roughly 75,000 Tokyo-mandated evacuees. This averages to about $600,000 for every man, woman, and child ordered to evacuate by the government. Property and proprietor compensation totals more than $20 billion. Indemnification for voluntary evacuees still stands at about #3.5 billion. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/comp/images/jisseki-e.pdf
- A few Japanese news sources say Sunday’s landslide victory for PM Shinzo Abe’s party is expected to boost reactor restarts. Although the election did essentially nothing to change the nation’s political landscape, Japan Times and Kyodo News speculate that Abe will increase his efforts to get Japan’s idled nukes back on-line. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/12/15/national/abe-set-boost-efforts-revive-nuclear-power-election/#.VI7pLKMcQdU — http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2014/12/327219.html
- NRA chief Shunichi Tanaka says that cement should stop contaminated inflow to equipment tunnels. Tanaka visited F. Daiichi on Friday to tour the plant and look at the work being done. He inspected the multiple barriers keeping groundwater and possible leakage from reaching the sea and thinks the safety of the plant has improved. Tanaka then checked on the recent decision to pour concrete into equipment tunnels containing contaminated water. While stating the contaminated water situation is his greatest concern, he said the new method of stopping inflow to the tunnel out of unit #2 seems to be successful. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
- NRA chief Tanaka also said fully-treated water must be released to the sea. He sees no other way to mitigate the buildup of both contaminated and decontaminated water at F. Daiichi. Japan’s leading liberal newspaper (circ. ~ 7 million), the Asahi Shimbun, spins this into the following headline, “NRA head signals massive release of tainted water to help decommission Fukushima site”. In the article, Tanaka says, “I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of tanks (holding water tainted with radioactive substances). We have to dispose of the water.” But, he added the caveat, “We also have to obtain the consent of local residents in carrying out the work, so we can somehow mitigate (the situation). While (the idea) may upset people, we must do our utmost to satisfy residents of Fukushima.” Tanaka promised that the NRA would provide information to local residents based on continuing studies of radioactive elements in local waters. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/fukushima/AJ201412130042
- Okuma Town OKs interim storage of rural decontamination material. The Okuma assembly made the decision after Mayor Toshitsuna Watanabe said he would accept Tokyo’s temporary storage plan. The assembly said the explanation of the overall plan is sufficient enough for them to approve interim storage, but the government’s proposed property compensation is insufficient. They also said they had no choice but to accept Tokyo’s proposal in order to speed up reconstruction of their town. Mayor Watanabe said it was time to make a decision. But, he said that he only accepts construction of the facilities, adding that the central government needs to sign a safety agreement before bringing in waste. Tokyo wants to begin shipments in January. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20141212_30.html
- Owners of Oma nuclear plant will apply for a preliminary safety screening on Tuesday. It will be the first application for a safety check with a facility under construction. Japan’s Electric Power Development Company (J-Power) plans on full-scale operation of the 1383 MWe unit in 2021. The Tuesday application explains J-Power’s plans to meet the new regulations set by Tokyo since the 2011 Fukushima accident. It is expected that the screening of the plans will take about a year before J-Power makes the the changes needed to meet the new rules. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001792242
- South Korea will run surveys on Fukushima fish products. This is in response to formal Japanese protests over Korea’s continuing ban of seafood products from Fukushima and seven other surrounding Prefectures, some as far away as the eastern Tokyo metropolis. The ban has been in place since September, 2013. A Korean research team will visit wholesale markets on the Fukushima and Chiba coasts, focusing on the analyses being run to check for contamination. Their findings could lead to Korea reconsidering the import ban. Japanese Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroshige Seko said, “Japan strongly hopes that South Korea will deepen its accurate understanding through the survey and that the ban will quickly be abolished.” http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001786572
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