July 9, 2015

Jul 9, 2015 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Fuel load inside Sendai unit #1 began on Tuesday, while more than 100 protesters rallied outside. There will be roughly 40 fuel bundles installed in the reactor vessel every day. It should take about four days to load all 157 bundles. The process requires one bundle at a time to be taken from its storage position in the fuel pool, sent through the water-filled fuel transfer canal, gripped by the reactor building’s polar crane, and precisely placed in its proper location inside the reactor vessel. Trained staff will be working in shifts so that the fuel installation occurs around the clock. After installation is complete, the large reactor head will be returned to the top of the vessel by the polar crane and securely bolted in-place, the control rod drive mechanisms remotely attached to the control rods already in the core, and pre-operational tests run, including emergency core cooling system function. When everything checks out, the Nuclear Regulation Authority will be asked to allow start-up. The pre-operational phase will last about two months.
  • Meanwhile, protests occurred at Sendai station and in Tokyo. At Sendai, signs said “Loading of nuclear fuel is a step toward accidents” and protesters shouted “We will never condone reactivation!” Many were local activists, but some were from other parts of Japan. Long-time local activist Ryoko Torihara said the NRA, station owner Kyushu Electric, and local officials have rushed the startup. She claims a thorough analysis of volcanic risks has not made. She said, “It’s quite strange the NRA did not have any volcanic experts on its committee when it accepted the word of Kyushu Electric that the possibility of a gigantic volcanic eruption, called a caldera eruption, was extremely small.” Torihara also feels adequate evacuation planning for the public has yet to be completed. She further claimed that no nukes should be operated for the sake of future generations. Another local, Kiyaoki Kawabata, said, “Even though residents have been seeking an explanation, they ignored us. We cannot forgive them for that.” Hiroshi Sugihara of Kagoshima University said all nukes should be abandoned. In Tokyo, some 200 people rallied outside the Kyushu Electric Co. branch office. Organized by the Metropolitan Coalition Against Nukes, they carried banners saying “Don’t put in nuclear fuel!” and “Don’t press the start button.” http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2015070700170 — http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/07/07/national/fuel-loaded-kagoshima-reactor-first-restart-nears/#.VZu2vaMw8dU — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150707_16.html — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150708p2a00m0na013000c.html
  • Nahara residents take umbrage with an Industry Minister’s comment about public concerns over residual contamination. Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yosuke Takagi visited the town on Monday and was questioned about the safety of tap water. He responded that there is no detectible radioactive Cesium in the water, and then added, “People differ in how they think about radiation. I think whether you think [the water source is] safe or not is a psychological issue.” One resident said, “That comment makes me lose my desire to go back. Does he intend to say it’s people’s own fault [that they feel unsafe]?” One evacuee now living in Tokyo, Noboru Endo, said, “We are reminded once again that the government can’t be trusted.” Endo alleges that he wants to go home, but “Even if the government tells us our tap water is safe, how can we relax? If my generation, who have children, do not return, my hometown will not recover. That’s why I want to return, and I want the government to do everything it can to prepare a safe living environment there.” The angry residents point to Cesium levels as high as 18,700 Becquerels per kilogram that have been found in the mud at the bottom of the Kido Dam reservoir, a major source of Nahara’s tap water.  http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150707p2a00m0na019000c.html
  • Tokyo politicians propose reconsideration of the 40-year lifetime rule for nukes. Law requires that the NRA’s organization be reviewed three years after the agency was in full operation, which would be September, 2016. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has begun exploration into possible changes to be addressed at that time. A caucus of LDP Diet members concluded that a blanket 40-year operating limit for nukes should be reviewed, and perhaps replaced with limits based on a case-by-case basis. Also, the proposal calls for reconsideration of earthquake fault rulings. Just because a fault runs under a nuke station does not mean it could not safely survive a worst-case temblor. Thus, a special research committee of experts would be better than the current process of the single earthquake expert on the commission making seismic decisions. Finally, the proposal says it might be better to have the NRA made an adjunct of the Prime Minister’s cabinet, rather than an external bureau of the Environment Ministry. http://www.jaif.or.jp/en/group-of-concerned-ldp-lawmakers-proposes-reconsideration-of-40-year-rule-for-reactor-lifetime/
  • The NRA chairman says slow, careful nuclear restart screenings will continue. Chair Shunichi Tanaka made the statement on Wednesday, marking the second anniversary of Japan’s new, stricter safety standards. Screenings are taking place for 25 units across Japan, and only the two units at Sendai station are on the brink of restarting. Tanaka admitted the screenings are generally a time-consuming process, and 10 of the units will probably take more time than the other 15. He explained that seismic evaluations, especially with boiling water reactor systems, are the main reason for the longer time frames. Tanaka added, “The new safety standards have set considerably high standards, so I believe utilities are having to take some time to satisfy those requirements.” When asked about the possibility of extending plant operating licenses beyond 40 years, he said he does not have enough knowledge to say whether or not 40 years is scientifically valid and if a change to that rule is required. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002276652 — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html
  • Tepco says it will deploy water cannons for emergency use at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa station. The devices will be used to limit release of radioactive materials into the atmosphere which might otherwise drift off the plant’s property. Five cannons, each with a 1,200 ton per hour capacity, will be sent to the K-K station later this month. Tepco got the idea from the rain-out of atmospheric contaminants at Fukushima Daiichi on March 15, 2011, due to rainfall. The water cannons would spray around the unit(s) having an accident to limit off-site releases. http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2015070900660
  • Sputnik News says Russia will build a new water treatment system to remove Tritium from already-treated F. Daiichi wastewaters. Atomproekt, a subsidiary of Rosatom, has sent initial design documents to the parent company for review. The paperwork addresses land resettlement, architectural solutions, process piping, ventilation and electrical systems. If approved, a demonstration treatment plant will be built.  http://sputniknews.com/science/20150708/1024380744.html