April 30, 2015

Apr 30, 2015 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Japan’s nuke watchdog approves building the Fukushima ice wall. On Tuesday, the Nuclear Regulation Authority approved Tepco’s plan to begin trial runs on 18 in-ground piping groups containing freezable liquid. If the ground between the pipes freezes solid, the company will ask for approval to expand testing to the other pipes already in place. Tepco began work on the project last June, but could not begin testing the technology until given the go-ahead by the NRA. If successful, the entire complex of buildings for units #1 through #4 will be surrounded by in-ground ice, stemming the flow of groundwater around and through the damaged unit’s basements. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html  Pictures of the part of the system to be tested can be found here… http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/date/2015/201504-e/150428-01e.html
  • Start-up of the soil freezing system for the ice wall occurred today. The first refrigeration unit was switched on at noon, followed by the 30 other machines. Liquid at minus 30 degrees Celsius is being pumped into the first eighteen of the completed in-ground piping arrays, constituting the initial operational test. Installation is nearly complete on the inland side of the four damaged units. Together with other measures, Tepco and Tokyo feel the in-flow of groundwater into the four basements could be cut by 90%. Critics are skeptical, citing the inability to totally stop the outflow of water into underground tunnels and trenches on the sea-side. One concern is that if groundwater level falls below that of the wastewater in the basements, there could be a contaminated outflow. Tepco plans to closely monitor water levels to keep this from happening. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/handouts/2015/images/handouts_150430_01-e.pdf — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150430_14.html
  • The operator of the drone found atop PM Abe’s office building may have been looking for fame. A former high school classmate said had never heard Mr. Yamamoto talk about the issue of nuclear power. The former fellow student said, “It’s a mystery why he started voicing anti-nuclear sentiment.” The classmate recalled that Yamamoto had been a cheerful student and told classmates his goal in life was to do something to get him on the front page of newspapers. Yamamoto’s blog turned dark when he stopped working last year, voicing a general feeling of disenchantment that led up to the drone incident. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150428p2a00m0na014000c.html
  • Three workers were splashed with mildly radioactive water at Shimane unit #1. They had been transferring water from a basement tank when a hose on a pump became disconnected. About 4 liters of water splashed on them before the pump was stopped. None of the contamination was absorbed by the worker’s bodies. The mishap occurred last week, on April 22nd. Station owner Chugoku Electric Company said they did not immediately report it to the Press because the liquid’s radioactivity was very low and none of the workers retained contaminants. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150429_02.html
  • Iitate Electric Company is upset with Tokyo’s 2030 projection for nuke-generated electricity. The Fukushima village of Iitate raised enough money for the local electric company to use renewables instead of buying nuclear-generated electricity. Iitate Electric Company president Minoru Kobayashi said, “Is the government truly planning to continue relying upon nuclear power, even after causing such a major disaster? As time passes, are they just going to go ahead and forget about what happened at the time of the accident, and about the disaster areas?” Kobayashi established the company last year based on the slogan “a power station of the villagers, by the villagers, for the villagers.” http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150429p2a00m0na006000c.html