August 17, 2015

Aug 17, 2015 | Fukushima Accident Updates

  • Last year, Japan’s utilities spent $11.3 billion to maintain idled nukes. The expenditures were used to keep the plants prepared for the eventual end of the post-Fukushima nuclear moratorium. The outlays were part of the reason that Japan’s cost of electricity continued to increase last year. The main reason for the increases, though, was rising fuel costs for alternative power generation. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2015/08/369562.html
  • On Friday, Sendai unit #1 produced its first electricity. At 9am (Japan Time), the output breaker on the unit’s generator was closed, beginning electrical generation right on schedule. It will take at least a week to raise power output to 100% (890 MWe) in order to satisfy all procedural and regulatory stipulations. On Monday (today), the power level reached 50%. Once at full capacity, a mandated final performance test must be completed before commercial operation will begin and begin to bring in money for the owner. Kyushu Electric Co. has been purchasing electricity from other providers in order to meet demand ever since both Sendai units were shut down soon after the Fukushima accident. Kyushu Electric expects its earnings to be in the black for the first time in five years, once both units are at full capacity. Industry Minister Yoichi Miyazawa said that the start of nuclear power generation is important to establish a diverse energy mix and provide more stability on the grid. http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002356644 — http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20150814p2g00m0dm013000c.html
  • An eruption of Mount Sakurajima should not impact Sendai station. The alert level for eruption of the volcano was raised to “4” on Saturday, which means the surrounding population should prepare for evacuation, including much of Kagoshima City (pop. 605,000). The order immediately affects the 77 residents that live within 3km of the volcano. Mount Sakurajima is about 50 kilometers from Sendai station where unit #1 has restarted, spurring fears of an eruption causing a Fukushima-level nuke accident. Both Kyushu Electric Co. and the Nuclear Regulation Authority say the worst-possible eruption will not affect Sendai station. A Kyushu spokesperson said, “We are not currently taking any particular response. There is no impact in particular to the operations [of the Sendai plant]. We will continue to pay close attention to information from the Japan Meteorological Agency.” http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html — http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/kyushu-electric-says-no-special-precautions-needed-over-volcano?utm_campaign=jt_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=jt_newsletter_2015-08-17_PM  (Comment – As expected, Greenpeace-Japan is making a rhetorical mountain out of this nuclear molehill, saying, “The lengths to which safety issues have been ignored in the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s [NRA] review process for the Sendai plant restart shows just how desperate the nuclear industry and their government allies are… an analysis commissioned by Greenpeace Japan in February showed that the NRA also accepted a flawed volcano risk analysis from Kyushu Electric Power for the active volcano Mt. Sakurajima.”  http://www.dominicantoday.com/dr/world/2015/8/11/56060/Greenpeace-warns-Sendai-nuclear-restart-will-not-end-nuclear-crisis-facing)
  • The NRA has begun pre-restart checks for Takahama unit #3 in Fukui Prefecture. It is an 870 MWe Pressurized Water Reactor system. The agency will inspect more than 400 pieces of new equipment installed to meet the post-Fukushima regulatory mandates, including added emergency pumping technology and mobile power generators kept on the premises. Kansai Electric Co. hopes to restart the unit in early November. Before that can happen, however, they must get a provisional court injunction repealed. The Fukui Court order bars operation of any unit at Takahama station. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclear.html