July 16, 2015

Jul 16, 2015 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Removal of the unit #1 enclosure roof at F. Daiichi will begin later this month. Tepco needs to dismantle the enclosure in order to collect and discard rubble caused by the hydrogen explosion of March 12, 2011. The next step will be removal of the used fuel bundles in the spent fuel storage pool. The enclosure was built in late 2011 to stop the continual outflow of detectible radioactive particles into the atmosphere. Tepco wanted to begin dismantling the enclosure last year, but public fears about the possible dispersal of radioactive dust during rubble removal caused the company to postpone the plans. Tepco staff will first remove one of the six roof panels, then thoroughly spray chemical agents inside unit #1 to keep dust from going airborne. The process of taking off all six roof panels, with dust suppression following each removal, is expected to last about four months. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
  • The IAEA has finished its inspection of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuke station in Niigata Prefecture. The Tepco-owned K-K plant has seven units, the combined output of which is the largest in the world. The International Atomic Energy Agency completed a detailed 14-day inspection of plant safety and emergency response program. The team noted good progress with strengthening protection against worst-case natural disasters and upgrades to insure against a full-station power blackout like the one that caused the accident at Fukushima Daiichi. Team leader peter Tarren said, “We’ve had excellent cooperation from the TEPCO staff and the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa persons in particular. We would like to take both of those aspects (improvements and good practices) back to the rest of the nuclear industry as learning opportunities.” He added, “We’ve seen very strong commitment to both the nuclear safety and the continuing improvements, not just from the people at the power station but also from the corporate organization right from the top.” Major upgrades that were noted include “comprehensive and robust measures against severe accidents”, frequent emergency preparedness drills, and minimization of fire risks. Proposals for further improvement include creating systems to better exchange lessons-learned with the rest of the industry, improving management guidance with spent fuel pool safety, and full integration of on-site emergency plans to make them easier to implement. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2015/1255020_6844.html — http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/date/2015/201507-e/150713-01e.html — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150713_24.html
  • Decontamination of the Fukushima “J-Village” has begun. The J-Village is a soccer facility 20km south of Fukushima Daiichi that has been leased by Tepco as the main location for recovery operations and housing of workers at F. Daiichi. Tepco plans on finishing clean-up in 2018. Tokyo would like to use the twelve soccer fields as a training site for the men’s and women’s teams to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It is believed that many the fields will be fully decontaminated and open for use by the summer of 2018. Tokyo would like to relocate the soccer operation’s base to the J-Village in March, 2017. Fukushima Prefecture plans to fully open the facility in April, 2019. http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150714p2a00m0na006000c.html — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
  • Tokyo approves restart safety for Ikata unit #3 in Ehime Prefecture. On Wednesday, the Nuclear Regulation Authority unanimously agreed that the unit’s safety measures satisfy the post-Fukushima standards. Ikata is the third nuke station to reach this point since the NRA went into full operation more than two years ago. A draft approval was issued in May, but a final decision had to await a 30-day public comment period. There were 3,464 comments submitted. All comments were considered before the final judgment was rendered. Allegations of safety inadequacy, such as underestimation of quakes and tsunamis, were dismissed as unfounded. The next steps include on-going construction for upgrading facilities and equipment, enhancing programs for dealing with severe accidents, and consent from local communities. Shikoku Electric plans to make house-to-house visits within a 20km radius to explain the high degree of safety. The local antinuke leader, Tsukasa Wada, believes the unit should not be restarted because “the size of a possible quake was underestimated”, “the problem of spent fuel from the reactor can’t be solved,” and evacuation plans for the 30km radius are inadequate. Shikoku Electric hopes to clear all remaining regulatory hurdles in order to restart by the end of this year. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html — http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002289545 — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150715p2g00m0dm047000c.html — http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/15/national/ikata-reactor-ehime-wins-safety-approval-nations-nuclear-plants-inch-closer-restarts/#.VaZW75Aw8dU
  • Tokyo warns against increased dependence on fossil fuel for electricity generation. In the annual fiscal report on energy for 2014 was adopted by the Prime Minister’s Cabinet. It said rising electrical costs due to the nuclear moratorium have been a huge burden to households and industry. The average cost to the consumer has risen 25% and to commercial customers by 40% compared to 2010, the year before the nuclear moratorium began being phased in. The report says liberalization of retail electricity will begin in April, 2016, and city gas as early as 2017. It also mentioned the prospect of using shale gas imports from the United States as a possible cost-saving measure. http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2015071400137