- Nuclear regulations in Japan will be made legally binding for the first time. The Nuclear Regulatory Authority says new countermeasures for nuke safety will be “legally mandated”. Until now, recommended safety measures and upgrades were left up to the utility companies that owned the power plants. Compliance was voluntary. The drafts of the new measures were released yesterday for public input the final rules will be legislated into law in July. The draft gives the rationale for making the new rules legally binding, “Although the frequency of occurrence (of a severe accident like the Fukushima nuclear disaster) is extremely low, once it happens it may significantly damage nuclear reactors and cause them to spew radioactive materials.” This implies that public fear of radiation must be considered in the legal process. The draft also states that no nukes located directly above a seismic fault will be allowed to operate and must be scrapped. In addition, since the older nukes will have to make the most upgrades, it is possible some of them will be decommissioned due to the high cost of regulatory compliance. Plus, new tsunami and earthquake criteria will be site-specific – each nuclear station’s requirements for protection will be due to worst-case quake and tsunami scenarios for the location. The NRA says power companies may be given grace periods before specific measures become obligatory. (Mainichi Shimbun)
- For a detailed report on the NRA’s draft regulations, with explanatory graphic, please read the Asahi Shimbun article Agency drafts new safeguards for reactors that may delay restarts… http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/recovery/AJ201302010085 Although some of the report takes the antinuclear slant common to the Asahi and most Japanese news outlets, the coverage of the proposed regulations is probably the most comprehensive yet posted by the Press.
- Tsunami debris removal and disposal has finally begun inside the 20km no-go evacuation zone around Fukushima Daiichi. The Environment Ministry started work today in a few districts of Minamisoma Town where the repopulation bans have been lifted. The districts of Odaka, Tsukabara and Oi have been thoroughly monitored and the radiation levels do not prohibit tsunami debris disposal. The three locations have an estimated 22,000 tons of material to be handled. The total coastal debris volume for all of Minamisoma is estimated at 183,000 tons. The main volume will be left untended, at least for now, due to resident’s radiation fears. This is the first time tsunami debris removal has happened inside the 20km radius of F. Daiichi. The material will be separated between combustible and non-combustible. The combustibles will be burned in a temporary incinerator and the rest either recycled or buried at the site. The temporary storage site in Tsukahara district is about 50% completed and can begin accepting the materials. The Ministry Plans to have five such sites for tsunami debris by 2014, but vocal radiophobic residents do all they can to block the work. The new concern is the durability of plastic sheets lining the disposal trenches and whether or not they can prevent radioactive leakage if the material has radioisotopes in it. It’s not only the fear of radiation itself, but the fear of the possibility of radiation that persists. It took ten months to assuage the locals in Odaka, Tsukabara and Oi districts before the long-overdue disposal could begin. There is no telling how long it will take to overcome remaining radiophobia before the other 160,000 tons of tsunami trash can be removed. Tsukabara Administrator Yoshiki Konno said, “The recovery and reconstruction have just begun. Not every resident supports the construction of the storage sites, but we are working with the hope of making a faster recovery.” (Japan Times; Mainichi Shimbun; NHK World)
- Although none of Japan’s major news outlets are reporting it, the Cesium contamination levels in the turbine building basement waters of F. Daiichi units #1-#4 continue to drop. In December, the Cs-134/137 concentrations were 59,000 Becquerels per milliliter. As of January 24, the level has dropped to 53,000 Bq/ml. This is more than a 5% decrease. Also, the Cs-134/137 concentration at the inlet to the Cesium absorbers was 5.400 Bq/ml in December, but is currently at 4,500 Bq/ml. This is nearly a 17% reduction in about a month. Unquestionably, slow but steady progress is being made in reducing the Cesium levels in the 77,000 tons of water that occupy the turbine building basements. Unfortunately, the in-seepage of groundwater keeps the basements from being drained. Tepco is currently building systems outside the turbine basements to eventually carry the groundwater away and stop the in-leakage. (Tepco Press Website)
- Seawater-caused corrosion has been discovered inside one of the reactor vessels at the Hamaoka nuclear station in Central Japan. Hamaoka has five total units, but it seems only one has the corrosion problem. The entire facility was ordered to be shut down by then-PM Naoto Kan in May, 2011, over his fears of a nuclear accident at Hamaoka forcing the evacuation of Tokyo. During the shutdown, a seawater-cooled condenser developed a leak and water flow into the reactor became contaminated before the condenser was isolated. There are three locations on the reactor’s inner steel liner that show the corrosion, and 2 are too deep for routine “polishing”. The steel will have to be cleansed completely or the entire liner will have to be replaced before any restart can happen. (NHK World)
- Robots that will be used at F. Daiichi to accelerate decommissioning are being tested at Fukushima Daiini station, 10 kilometers to the south. Rather than literally throw the new automatons into the fray, the robotics team wants to test their abilities at the undamaged F. Daiini complex where everything can be visually monitored. In addition, any adjustments can be made literally on-the-spot. Further, if a robot loses power, it can be recovered. At F. Daiichi, high radiation fields make it impossible for such efforts. (Mainichi Shimbun)
- Prime Minister Abe repeatedly reiterates that the former regime’s no-nukes-by-2040 goal is being “reviewed “ and a Westinghouse/Toshiba executive indicates most of Japan’s nuke fleet will be restarted. Today, Abe said, “We’ll make a decision [on restarting nuclear power plant operations] based on scientific safety criteria. In about three years, we’ll see how current nuclear power plants should be in the future, and in 10 years, we’ll shift to a new stable energy mix.” Meanwhile, Westinghouse Chief Danny Roderick said, “I’m pretty optimistic that the Japanese nuclear fleet is going to restart, not maybe all the units, but I think a large portion. If you look… across Japan, you will find they are ready. They have installed numerous safety modification enhancements. They have installed tsunami protection. It is still going to take a period of time, but I can tell you the sentiment has changed pretty significantly because the facts about Fukushima are now out.” (Yomiuri Shimbun; Reuters)
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