nuclear-news

Japan’s re-opened nuclear plants will not be safe until after 2015

Filtered vents that could substantially reduce radiation leaks in case of an accident ; a radiation-free crisis management building; and fences to block debris washed up by a tsunami won’t be ready until 2015. This means the plant, as well as plant workers and residents, won’t be fully protected from radiation leaks in case of a Fukushima-class crisis…

Japan readies for reopening of nuclear reactors amid safety concerns, guardian.co.uk,   8 June 2012 Prime minister Yoshihiko Noda assures citizens’ safety and says reactors must be restarted to boost economy… Prime minister Yoshihiko Noda said the government has taken ample safety measures to ensure the two reactors in western Japan would not leak radiation ifan earthquake or tsunami as severe as last year’s should strike them.

All 50 of Japan’s workable reactors are offline for maintenance and
safety concerns since the magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami last
March swept into a coastal plant in Fukushima and sparked the world’s
second-worst nuclear disaster.

The two reactors at the Ohi nuclear plant are the first two ready to
resume generating power, but the public has shown great concern that
government failures worsened last year’s crisis and may recur…… He
said the public opinion is polarised but he has to make a decision
because “I cannot put people’s safety and livelihood at stake by not
restarting the reactors.”

Local consent is not legally required for restarting the reactors,
though government ministers have promised to gain understanding from
the prefecture. Noda said he understands the mixed feelings many
people have about a startup. He promised to publish a long-term energy
policy that aims to reduce nuclear dependency and promote renewable
energy around August – a delay from an earlier target of June.

Noda’s speech could be seen to remove the last obstacle before
restarting the Ohi reactors……Some of the most crucial measures to
secure cooling functions and prevent meltdowns as in Fukushima were
installed, but more than one-third of the necessary upgrades on the
list are still incomplete.

Filtered vents that could substantially reduce radiation leaks in case of an accident ; a radiation-free crisis management building; and fences to block debris washed up by a tsunami won’t be ready until 2015. This means the plant, as well as plant workers and residents,
won’t be fully protected from radiation leaks in case of a Fukushima-class crisis…….http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jun/08/japan-reopen-nuclear-reactors-safety

June 9, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Japan, safety