August 10, 2015

Aug 10, 2015 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • The countdown continues for the Sendai unit #1 restart, with heavy news coverage. Kyushu Electric has successfully completed all pre-operational testing of key systems, and has announced the start of the slow, tedious process of restarting under Japan’s new regulatory system will begin tomorrow (Tuesday) at 10:30am (Japan Time). The control rods for initial criticality will be slowly moved outward from the bottom of the core, in precise sequence, until a self-sustaining chain reaction is achieved about 12 hours later. Criticality occurs at such a low energy-release level that the water in the reactor will not heat up. Power level will be slowly increased for about three days before enough heat is generated to produce steam to bring the turbines on-line, at some point later in the day on Friday. Commercial generation of electricity will obegin in early September. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that in terms of the government’s energy policy, it is important to restart nuclear reactors if their safety has been confirmed. Kyushu Electric says they will place the highest priority on safety and thoroughly comply with government inspections during in the restarting process. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002346970 — http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150810_80.html
  • Japan’s nuke watchdog chief says Sendai will not be another Fukushima. Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) Chairman Shunichi Tanaka told the Press, “We will make completely sure that the reactor is operating as it should. A disaster like that at Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima Daiichi will not occur.” Since its inception in 2012, the NRA has stiffened nuke safety regulations to the point where the agency claims they have the most stringent in the world. Tanaka stated, “The new regulations are incomparably stricter than those under the old system,” but added an a cautionary point, “There is no such thing as absolute safety, [but any possible accident] would be contained before it reached a scale anywhere near what happened in Fukushima.” Critics charged that the NRA’s standards are too strict, but Tanaka rebuffed such allegations. http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/nuclear-regulator-says-there-will-be-no-repeat-of-fukushima-under-new-safety-rules?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2015-08-09_AM
  • Protestors demonstrate to show their displeasure with the restart. On Sunday, an estimated 2,000 people from across Japan marched around the Sendai station. Protest organizer, writer Satoshi Kamata, alleged, “Past arguments that nuclear plants were safe and nuclear energy was cheap were all shown to be lies. Kyushu Electric is not qualified to resume operations because it has not completed an anti-quake structure to oversee a possible accident as well as a venting facility [for emergency depressurization].” On Monday, 100 protested at the Kyushu Company headquarters in Fukuoka City. Protest organizer Tatsuya Yoshioka said, “I cannot understand why operations are resuming. Nuclear energy is an issue that extends beyond national borders.” Tokyo suburban Mayor Hiroko Uehara said emergency plans are insufficient around Sendai, thus “We cannot allow the resumption of operations that ignores the lives of residents.” Meanwhile, a Mainichi Shimbun poll says 57% of their readers oppose the restart. Among supporters of PM Shinzo Abe’s LDP party (28% of the 1015 respondents), 47% agree with the restart and 38% opposed. Those opposed to Abe’s administration were only 18% in favor and 74% against. Those unaffiliated with any political party were 62% opposed and 26% in favor of restart. The Mainichi has been one of the most antinuclear of Japan’s major newspapers since the accident of March, 2011. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201508100012— http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150810p2a00m0na005000c.html
  • Fukushima’s top Fishery approves treated groundwater releases. The Fukushima Prefectural Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations will make it official on Tuesday. The Fishery’s approval is conditional on Tepco and Tokyo agreeing to their requested measures, including combating false rumors about Fukushima foods and other prefectural products. The Federation adopted its list of demands on Friday. Tepco says waters pumped out of wells will be run the through their multi-stage treatment system, and will release nothing that exceeds the company’s ridiculously low, self-imposed release limits; Cesium isotopes at one Becquerel per liter and Tritium at 1,500 Bq/l. The above applies only to groundwater pumped out of wells upstream from the four damaged unit basements. Already-treated waters now stored in huge tanks on-site will not be included in the release agreement. http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2015080700778
  • The Fukushima fisheries also eased their trawler depth limit. Since the nuke accident, trawling had to be done in “waters 120 meters or deeper”. The fisheries council has now changed it to “waters 90 meters or deeper”. The change was due to all fish caught in the shallower waters having tested less than the 100 Bq/kg limit. This will allow small trawlers of 15 tons or less to take part in fishing operations. At the Soma-Futaba Fishery Cooperative, the number of participating fishing boats will increase by one to 23. It will double from 12 to 24 at the Iwaki City Fishery Cooperative, and from two to four at the Onahama Trawl Fishery Cooperative. http://www.fukushimaminponews.com/news.html?id=542
  • The revised schedule for the next unit #2 robot examination is announced. The international Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) and Tepco developed the robot. Before sending it through the chosen piping penetration through the Primary Containment wall, a telescopic inspection revealed the intended pathway was blocked by rows of concrete blocks. A remote-controlled removal mechanism has moved all but seven of the blocks. The seven cannot be moved, as yet, because they are stuck together by what appears to be some kind of rust. The plan is to move the blocks by November to allow the robotic examination. This means the installation of the muon technology now being used for unit #1 might occur before the robotic examination can happen. http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2015/1256987_6844.html