Radioactive farm to be leased to wind farm without decontamination

Image of the Rokkaku Farm Wind Power Project (tentative name), which is being planned in Naruko Onsen, Miyagi (Prepared and provided by Japan Kumamori Association)

February 15, 2022

On January 5, it was learned that Tohoku University had leased the Tohoku University Ranch in Miyagi Prefecture, which was contaminated with radioactive materials due to the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant of the Tokyo Electric Power Company in 2011, to a large-scale wind power generation project without decontaminating the land. It was learned on January 5. According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), there is no other example of a university leasing land contaminated with radioactive materials, which is highly unusual. However, according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), there has been no other case in which land contaminated with radioactive materials has been leased.

　Unusual lease of university land

The project is called the Rokkaku Ranch Wind Power Project (tentative name). The project, tentatively called the “Rokkaku Farm Wind Power Generation Project,” will install up to 20 wind turbines with a maximum height of 200 meters at the Rokkaku Farm in the Tohoku University Kawatabi Field Center, which straddles the cities of Osaki and Kurihara in Miyagi Prefecture. The maximum output will be 70,000 kilowatts, and all the power generated will be sold to Tohoku Electric Power Co. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2023, with the aim of starting operation at the end of fiscal year 2025.

The operator of the project is Kawatabi Wind Power Generation (President: Toru Suzuki), which is made up of the wind power generation company Shimin Wind Power (Sapporo City) and its affiliate CSS (Sapporo City). At present, the environmental impact assessment is in the second of three stages, the “method statement” stage.

Since the amendment of the National University Corporation Act in 2009, it has been possible for universities to lease idle land to third parties unrelated to their original business. In November 2008, Tohoku University applied to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for the lease of 3.76 million square meters of ranch land. The application was approved in March of the following year.

According to Tohoku University, the university signed a contract with Kawatabi Wind Power Generation in March 2020 to lease the land to the university through an open competition. According to Tohoku University, the university contracted with Kawatabi Wind Power in March 2020 to lease the land from the public. The annual rental fee is 80 million yen, and the term is 20 years after the start of power generation.

　No decontamination of hot spots

However, the ranch was a “hot spot” where radiation levels were locally high due to the nuclear accident in 2011. Immediately after the accident at the nuclear power plant, radioactive materials formed a “radioactive plume” that flowed with the atmosphere like a cloud, and passed over the northern part of Miyagi Prefecture on the wind. This is because it fell on parts of the cities of Osaki and Kurihara.

According to Tohoku University, radioactive cesium was also detected at Rokkaku Farm, and cattle grazing was suspended. Although decontamination was considered, it was not carried out due to the vastness of the area, and the ranch was left unattended.

At the Miyagi Prefecture Environmental Impact Assessment Technical Review Meeting held in April last year, one of the procedures for environmental assessment, an expert on radioactive materials pointed out that “10,000 to 30,000 becquerels per square meter fell in the area. This is the first time I have ever seen such a thing. He expressed concern that the construction of the wind power generation facility would cause the radioactive materials to flow into the surrounding areas, saying, “If the soil is tampered with improperly, it may turn into muddy water and flow into areas that are not the university’s land.

According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), it has approved a total of 26 leases of idle property to national universities nationwide since the law was revised, but Tohoku University is the only one that has applied for a lease because of radioactive contamination. Tohoku University is the only university that has applied for a lease because of radioactive contamination, and the only other university that has applied for a lease for a renewable energy project is Kyoto University for solar power generation.

Tohoku University said, “We measured radiation levels when we leased the land this time, and while it is not suitable for grazing cattle, there is no problem with radiation exposure when the developer works on the land.

　189 200-meter class wind turbines

The Naruko Onsen area of Osaki City, where the ranch is located, is known for its kokeshi dolls, and is one of the top hot spring resorts in Japan, designated as a “national hot spring resort” by the Ministry of the Environment. In the vicinity of the ranch, seven companies, including Rokkaku Farm, are currently working on a huge wind power generation project. A residents’ group, “Naruko Hot Spring Village,” is planning to build a total of 18 wind turbines up to 200 meters in height.

A residents’ group, “Naruko Onsen no Kurashi to Kofukawa wo Kangaeru Kai” (headed by Yoshitake Sone), pointed out, “If the wind turbines are built without decontamination, not only will contaminants flow out, but wind pressure from the turbines may scatter radioactive materials. If the wind turbines are built without decontamination, not only will contaminants leak out, but wind pressure from the turbines may scatter radioactive materials. Tohoku University must be held accountable for its decision to lease the land without any explanation to the residents,” he said, calling for a complete reversal of the plan. Since the end of last year, we have been collecting signatures on the “Change.org” website and other sites. The government’s approval standards are questionable.

　Doubts about the government’s approval standards

The revised National University Corporation Act stipulates that one of the criteria for the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to approve the lease of idle land to national universities is that the land “shall not be used for any purpose that may cause inconvenience to the surrounding area, such as generating or using noise, vibration, dust, visual discomfort, bad odor, electromagnetic waves, or hazardous materials.

In addition to radioactive contamination, concerns about health hazards due to noise and low-frequency sound, as well as visual discomfort to the landscape, have been raised by residents’ groups and the prefectural government’s technical review committee members.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s National University Corporation Support Division said, “The government approves the project on the premise that the university will make sure that the operator complies with the approval standards. If the operator does not comply with the standards, the government will inquire with Tohoku University,” he said.

Regarding the construction of many wind turbines on un-decontaminated land, a Kawatabi Wind Power representative said, “We will investigate the project during the environmental assessment procedure, and based on the results of the investigation, we will plan the project in a way that will not cause any problems while listening to the opinions of experts.

Hitoshi Izu, 60, director of the Finance Department and deputy director of the Asset Management Center at Tohoku University, said, “In the future, after the government approves the wind power generation project, if any problems are reported by residents, the primary responsibility lies with the project owner, but Tohoku University, which owns the land, will not pretend not to know. But Tohoku University, as the owner of the land, will not just pretend not to know about it. There has been no such discussion at this time, but if there is a problem in the future, we will respond sincerely,” he said.

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/76bb4cf347875eb00374c8cb3cf58ff68106e22a?fbclid=IwAR0YjE-N0Qic0YczN0T6kG6x-GdR48Y2zg34FoYp4tUC1xYFlPnYpmeJEyM