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TEPCO sprays rainwater before confirming its safety, calls for prevention of recurrence METI Minister Hagiuda

December 7, 2021

Over the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced on December 29th that it sprayed rainwater that had accumulated in tanks at the plant before confirming the safety of the water. Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Hagiuda said at a press conference after the cabinet meeting on November 7, “This kind of mistake must not happen,” and demanded that the company take measures to prevent a recurrence.

On November 29, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced that it had confirmed that workers had sprayed rainwater from tanks on the premises of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant without analyzing the water for radioactive materials, which should have been done to ensure safety.

The All Japan Federation of Fishermen’s Cooperative Associations (Zenryoren) has protested the incident, calling it “extremely regrettable.

However, TEPCO needs to gain the understanding and trust of fishermen and other concerned parties in order to decommission the plant, and this kind of mistake should not happen.

In addition, he urged TEPCO to conduct a thorough investigation of the cause of the accident and take drastic measures to prevent recurrence.

On the other hand, regarding the IAEA’s decision to postpone until next month or later the dispatch of a survey team to verify the safety of discharging the increasing amount of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea, he said, “I don’t think this will have an immediate impact on the schedule for future releases, but we will steadily work on what we can do.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20211207/k10013378081000.html?fbclid=IwAR2yjKbI35BHqOXsYB4oPRT7MDtOWJbqJqQX-kt3BgMYfAQxXx8AQ4VfETI

December 7, 2021 Posted by | Fukushima 2021 | , , | Leave a comment

TEPCO to Get Ruling in July over March 2011 Meltdowns

In a little-publicized civil trial, shareholders sued TEPCO’s executives for their roles in the 2011 nuclear disaster. The trio was also brought up on criminal charges for the same negligence issues. This civil trial seeks to compensate shareholders for their losses when TEPCO’s stock tanked after the disaster. The court has heard arguments and will have a verdict around July of 2022. The shareholders are seeking 22 trillion yen, about $194 billion USD.

December 1, 2021

Tokyo, Dec. 1 (Jiji Press)–A ruling on a shareholder derivative lawsuit against Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. over the March 2011 nuclear accident at its Fukushima No. 1 power plant will be handed down on July 13 next year.

In the lawsuit, shareholders are demanding that TEPCO pay 22 trillion yen in damages to take responsibility for the alleged failure of five former executives, including former Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata, 81, to take countermeasures against tsunami.

Oral proceedings at Tokyo District Court were concluded on Tuesday, more than nine years since the lawsuit was instituted, marking a milestone in the civil suit with demand for the highest-ever compensation in Japan.

During Tuesday’s hearing, shareholders once again pointed to negligence on the part of the five former TEPCO executives over the nuclear accident at the power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. An unprecedented triple meltdown accident occurred after the plant was struck by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequently triggered huge tsunami.

Shareholders claim that TEPCO could have predicted the tsunami and taken precautions against flooding, on the basis of long-term assessments by a government committee noting the possibility of an 8.0-magnitude-class massive quake along the Japan Trench in the Pacific, including off the coast of Fukushima.

https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2021113001178/

December 7, 2021 Posted by | Fukushima 2021 | , , | Leave a comment

Inspection of Fukushima Daiichi Unit 3 Spent Fuel Pool’s Damage

December 6, 2021

TEPCO reported in late November on some ongoing work to inspect the remaining fuel and equipment in the Unit 3 spent fuel pool. Work took place between July and October of 2021. Part of this work included equipment in the pool classified as high radiation. This included used control rods and other high radiation equipment such as used filter canisters.

The inspection found a damaged control rod lying across a fuel rack, two damaged control rods hung in the wall rack, and damage to the rack itself. Two “dummy” fuel assemblies have damaged lifting handles and six lifting tabs on the fuel racks were damaged. Sandy debris and rust were found at the bottom of the pool, causing difficulty in examining the used filters stored in the pool.

TEPCO wasn’t able to obtain clear radiation readings due to the depth of the debris in the bottom of the pool. The highest location they were able to take a reading was near the control rod found lying across the fuel rack. That reading was 265 mSv/h. TEPCO planned to begin removing debris from the fuel rack in November of 2021. Work to remove the control rods and high-dose equipment would begin in mid-2022.

A translated version of the TEPCO report can be found here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/z3wn2ie2y2davn3/spent_fuel_d211125_08-j_u3_translated.pdf?dl=0

The original report in Japanese can be found here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/s1kgdpexcbxeclm/spent_fuel_d211125_08-j.pdf?dl=0

December 7, 2021 Posted by | Fukushima 2021 | , , | Leave a comment