November 24, 2014

Nov 24, 2014 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Tsunami clean-up inside the Fukushima exclusion zone has finally begun. On Friday, 11/21/14, work on dismantling the ships beached by the 3/11/11 tsunami started. There are about seventy stranded vessels, mostly fishing boats; 62 in Namie, six in Tomioka, and one each in Minamisoma and Naraha. Cranes are being used to remove cabins and other open deck structures as the first step. The Environment Ministry plans to have the project done by the end of March. Similar efforts have been completed in Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures, but nothing had previously been done inside the exclusion zone due to contamination concerns. However, it seems that there is so little radioactivity on the ships that the Ministry feels there will be no problem with dismantling and disposing the waste materials. http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/recovery/AJ201411210063 — http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2014112100403
  • The first public evacuation drill in Fukushima Prefecture occurred on Saturday. It took place in Kawauchi Village, roughly 30 km southwest of F. Daiichi. More than 250 residents and about 1,000 local government officials took part in the exercise. The mock scenario was unit #3 at F. Daiichi having a prolonged loss of spent (used) fuel pool cooling due to an earthquake of “upper 6” on Japan’s scale, roughly similar in magnitude to 3/11/11. Japan’s scale runs from 0 (least intensity) to 7 (worst-possible intensity). The scenario assumed that radioactive materials were released, causing Kawauchi to register a 20 microsievert per hour radiation exposure level. (~175 millisievert/year) Residents evacuated to Tamura and Koriyama, while 27 students at an elementary school were moved to Tamura.  http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0001738983  
  • Tepco will stop equipment tunnel water inflow with cement. Their unsuccessful freezing effort ended earlier this month and did not stop the inflow from the attached turbine building basements. Tepco made the formal announcement to the Nuclear Regulation Authority on Friday. The trench of most concern runs about 60 meters from unit #2 to its seawater intake structure, holding 5,000 tons of highly contaminated water. The company told the NRA they want to pour cement into the tunnel and remove contaminated water at the same flow rate as the cement pour. It seems Tepco will first fill the deepest part of the trench with concrete and see if that stops the inflow of water. If not, they will continue filling the tunnel. Tepco estimates that 1-3% of the contaminated water will mix with the concrete and become part of the hardened mass. The NRA questioned if the new plan would work and voiced concerns about cracks forming once the cement hardens. One commissioner asked why they didn’t do this in the first place. The other trench of concern runs from unit #3 to its intake structure and holds about 6,000 tons. Tepco says they should have both tunnels finished by January so they can complete building the frozen wall around the four units. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20141122p2a00m0na015000c.html
  • Kansai Electric Co. continues to weigh licensing extensions. Tokyo has told all Japanese utilities to decide whether or not to apply for license extensions for the units at or near the post-Fukushima 40 year limit on operations. Kepco has two units at the Takahama station that should be the first to be considered. Tokyo says the decision must be made by next July. Kepco President Makoto Yagi says they will base their decision on a 20-year economic forecast and whether or not the units will turn a profit during that period. Fukui Prefecture’s Governor Issei Nishikawa says local governments should also be involved in the process. He says, “Local governments, as well as utilities, have to check the decommissioning process and this will require funding. Where will midterm storage facilities be built? Where will a final storage facility for the spent fuel and nuclear waste be located? It’s necessary for the central government to be deeply involved.” Also to be considered is $200 million per year in state subsidies that the local communities will lose if the units are scrapped. Then there’s the general negative feelings toward nuclear plants expressed by most of the prefecture’s public. Further, if the units are to be restarted, the emergency planning and local consent issues must be resolved. In addition, the antinuclear entities want their say. Aileen Mioko Smith of Green Action, a Kyoto-based anti-nuclear lobby, said, “It is particularly unconscionable for the Abe government to open the way for old reactors to operate when the Fukushima accident is ongoing.” http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/11/23/national/kepco-weights-new-lease-life-geriatric-reactors/#.VHMvF6N0wdU