Official approval for ocean discharge of “treated water” from Fukushima nuclear power plant…Undersea tunnel construction to begin next spring
On March 22, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority officially approved TEPCO’s plan to discharge “treated water” from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the sea, on the grounds that there are no safety concerns. Once prior approval from Fukushima Prefecture and the cities of Okuma and Futaba is obtained, TEPCO will begin construction of the facilities for the sea discharge. The government and TEPCO aim to start the discharge next spring.
July 22, 2022
On July 22, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) officially approved TEPCO’s plan to discharge the ever-increasing amount of “treated water” from TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the sea, saying there are no safety issues. TEPCO will now begin full-scale construction of facilities to discharge the water into the ocean after obtaining prior approval from Fukushima Prefecture and the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima Prefecture, where the plant is located. The government and TEPCO aim to begin the discharge next spring.
According to TEPCO’s plan, an undersea tunnel will be constructed from the plant to about 1 km/meters offshore, and treated water will be discharged from the top of the tunnel. The water will be diluted with seawater before discharge, and the concentration of radioactive tritium (triple hydrogen) will be reduced to less than 1/40th of the national discharge standard and 1/7th of the World Health Organization (WHO) standard for drinking water. The concentration of tritium in the water will be reduced to less than 1/40th of the national discharge standard and 1/7th of the World Health Organization’s drinking water standard.
The time required for the construction of the undersea tunnel and other work was initially estimated to be about 10.5 months, but will be shortened to about 8.5 months so that the discharge can begin next spring.
The treated water is produced by the ALPS (ALPS is a system for removing contaminated water after cooling nuclear fuel that has melted and hardened as a result of the 2011 meltdown accident). The amount of treated water continues to increase, and is currently about half of the total amount of radioactive materials in the plant. The amount of water has been increasing, and currently about 1.31 million tons are stored in more than 1,000 tanks on the plant’s grounds. The capacity of the tanks is expected to be reached by the end of next summer or fall. The tanks are expected to be full by next summer or fall.
Since continued storage would hinder decommissioning work, the government decided in April last year to begin discharging the waste into the ocean in the spring of 2011. It is expected to take several decades to complete the discharge.
The government and TEPCO need to provide more careful information.
The offshore discharge of “treated water” from TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi NPP is an unavoidable step to reduce the number of tanks on the plant site as much as possible and to facilitate the decommissioning of the plant. If decommissioning does not proceed steadily, it will hinder the reconstruction of Fukushima.
The treated water is water that has been purified from the contaminated water at the plant and most of the radioactive materials have been removed. Although tritium is technically difficult to remove, it has been scientifically confirmed that tritium has no effect on humans or the environment if it is diluted and its concentration is reduced. Tritium is also generated in the normal operation of nuclear power plants, and its release to the sea is permitted in Japan and other countries.
In April this year, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which includes experts from China and South Korea who oppose the release of treated water, released a report on the safety of TEPCO’s plans and purification facilities after studying them. The report found no problems with safety.
Nevertheless, concerns about harmful rumors persist, and local fishermen are opposed to the ocean discharge. In May of this year, after the Regulatory Commission approved a draft review report summarizing the results of its examination, it solicited opinions from the general public. As a result, 1,233 opinions were received, many of them from people who questioned the safety of the plant. The government and TEPCO need to further disseminate information carefully and seek the understanding of the public as a whole. (Makio Hattori, Science Department)
https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/science/20220722-OYT1T50110/?fbclid=IwAR1vstNjc7PCvVofMs-9yAA5GBKitGS0BkJPJw1-x62lwBfAt-0ghm-Ly6A
Exposure to radiation from nuclear power plant accident, UN Scientific Committee concludes that “possibility of health hazard is low”….but Fukushima venue voices doubts
July 22, 2022
On July 21, the United Nations Scientific Committee on Radiation Effects (UNSCEAR), which compiled a report on the health effects of radiation exposure following the accident at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, held an exchange of opinions with researchers in Iwaki City, Fukushima Prefecture. Gillian Haas, former chairperson of UNSCEAR, explained that “overall radiation doses are low and the possibility of an increase in cancer and other health problems is low. The researchers questioned the report, saying that it underestimated the radiation exposure.
The report was published in March of last year, summarizing the results of peer-reviewed papers published from the time of the accident to the end of 2019. Dr. Mikhail Baranov, the author of the report, commented on the large number of pediatric thyroid cancers confirmed in Fukushima Prefecture, saying, “I think the results of the ultra-sensitive screening tests have had an impact.
Many questions were raised from the audience. Dr. Hiyako Sakiyama, Ph.D., representative director of the “3.11 Thyroid Cancer Children’s Fund,” pointed out the problem of estimating the exposure to radioactive iodine released by the accident to be half the world average, based on a paper published more than 50 years ago, which stated that Japanese people eat a lot of marine products. As the Fukushima Prefectural People’s Health Survey shows, the amount of iodine ingested by Japanese people is the same as the world average,” she said. This is a clear underestimation of exposure.
Shinichi Kurokawa, a physicist emeritus professor at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), said, “In addition to several incorrect graphs and data, the report also gives physically impossible figures and underestimates the radiation doses by misquoting papers. It is far from a scientific report,” he criticized. Kurokawa and his group of researchers also demanded that the report be independently verified and that its conclusions be retracted.
The committee will consider modifying or correcting the points raised, but Haas said of the report, “The conclusions are solid and will not change significantly in the future.
The three members of the committee met with the governor of Fukushima Prefecture on March 20. Immediately thereafter, Chiba Chikako, 74, of the Ajisai no Kai, which supports pediatric thyroid cancer patients and others, directly asked Borislava Metcalfe, Executive Director, to reconsider the report, saying, “The conclusions of the report may promote discrimination and prejudice against patients and their families.
A woman who accompanied Ms. Chiba, a junior high school student at the time of the accident who developed thyroid cancer, said, “I am distressed that the report concludes that there is no causal relationship between radiation exposure and cancer in the absence of sufficient data on initial exposure doses. I hope that a proper investigation will be conducted. (Natsuko Katayama)
https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/191115?fbclid=IwAR16GvbZd5dYfA4sfOm3ED7X1-YJiOn-MLdbTAN4l_E_N6gAKyWF5s9SWsw
Japan Still Facing Challenges in Reconstructing Fukushim
Reconstruction without full decontamination is nothing else but a pipe dream, mostly made out of PR and propaganda…
July 19, 2022
Tokyo, July 19 (Jiji Press)–Reconstruction of areas in Fukushima Prefecture hit by the March 2011 nuclear accident has shown progress, but a number of challenges have yet to be overcome, including construction of essential facilities for everyday life and creation of jobs to bring back residents who evacuated to other prefectures.
The decommissioning of the meltdown-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. should also be pushed forward.
With evacuation orders in afflicted areas having been lifted in stages, the number of evacuees outside the northeastern prefecture has now fallen to some 30,000 from the peak level of over 160,000.
Most recently, it has been decided to remove Aug. 30 the evacuation order for the so-called specified reconstruction zone in the town of Futaba, which co-hosts the Fukushima No. 1 plant, crippled by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and is the only remaining completely evacuated municipality.
After the central and Futaba town governments reached the agreement to lift the order for the area around Futaba Station on the JR Joban Line, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno visited nuclear accident-hit areas for two days through Saturday.
No direct health effects seen from Fukushima nuclear crisis, ex-U.N. panel chair says
The U.N. Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation is everything but independent, and its report written mostly by Mikhail Balonov is full of baloney!
July 20, 2022
The former chair of a U.N. panel on the effects of atomic radiation has reiterated the committee’s view that radiation exposure from the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture had no direct adverse health effects on local people.
“The accident led to no adverse documented public health effects that were directly attributable to radiation exposure from the accident,” Gillian Hirth told a news conference at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Noting that the investigation by the U.N. Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation is independent and based on up-to-date data, Hirth said the conclusion is “unlikely to change significantly in the foreseeable future.”
Hirth observed that “future cancer rates that could be inferred from radiation exposure (from the Fukushima accident) are unlikely to be discernible.”
The nuclear accident, triggered by the powerful earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, happened at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings’ Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Regarding an increase in new thyroid cancer cases among local children, Hirth said that the rise “was judged to be the result of extensive ultrasensitive screening.”
The news conference was also attended by Mikhail Balonov, the main author of a report released by the panel in March last year.
Regarding the view that the report does not include enough data taken just after the accident, Balonov said that the impact of radiation on health is not something that occurs immediately.
While no adverse health effects have been observed until now, monitoring should continue, Balonov said.
Visits by officials related to the U.N. committee, including Hirth and Balonov, had been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
They are set to attend a public meeting in the city of Iwaki, Fukushima Prefecture, on Thursday.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/07/20/national/un-fukushima-health-effects/
Regulatory Commission to Approve Plan for Ocean Discharge of Treated Water on 22nd, TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
July 20, 2022
The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) announced on July 20 that it will discuss at an extraordinary meeting on July 22 a draft review report on TEPCO’s plan to discharge contaminated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after purification and treatment, stating that the plan has no safety problems and meets the requirements of government policy. Based on the results of a public comment period, the committee is expected to decide on the review report and approve the plan.
According to the Regulatory Commission, it received approximately 1,200 comments from the public during the period from May 19 to June 17. The Regulatory Commission will also present its views on the opinions at the meeting.
According to the plan, the treated water, which is mainly tritium, will be diluted with a large amount of seawater to less than 1/40th of the national discharge standard, and then discharged through a newly constructed undersea tunnel about 1 km offshore. More than 1.3 million tons of the treated water is stored in tanks on the plant’s premises, and TEPCO plans to finish releasing it over a period of about 30 years starting next spring.
TEPCO is preparing for the construction of the tunnel by installing a shield machine to excavate the tunnel on a site near the seawall of the plant. Tunnel excavation can only begin after receiving approval from the Regulatory Commission and obtaining the consent of Fukushima Prefecture and the two towns of Okuma and Futaba, where the plant is located.
Fishermen and fishermen are strongly opposed to the release of treated water. (Shinichi Ogawa and Kenta Onozawa)
Processed water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Contaminated water generated when cooling water injected into the reactors of Units 1-3 came into contact with nuclear fuel debris that melted down in the accident and mixed with groundwater and rainwater that flowed into the buildings, and was purified by a multinuclide removal system (ALPS). Tritium, a radioactive substance that cannot be removed, remains in concentrations exceeding the national discharge standard. In April 2021, the government decided to discharge the treated water into the ocean by the spring of 2023. TEPCO is proceeding with a plan to use a large amount of seawater to dilute the tritium concentration to less than 1/40th of the discharge standard and discharge the water into the sea.
https://www.tokyo-np.co.jp/article/190829?fbclid=IwAR39Bvgz0pCGmfeTUIeMKiljEVAZgDWOVGRMwAnP2O_mbbKL9LlaUbwt40w
Nuclear reactor in Takahama to go back online on July 26
July 20, 2022
Kansai Electric Power Co. will resume generating and transmitting electricity at the No. 3 reactor at the Takahama nuclear power plant on July 26, the company announced on July 19.
The company had said the timing of resuming operations was undecided after a regular inspection that started in March discovered damage to heating tubes at the nuclear reactor in Takahama, Fukui Prefecture.
However, the company has decided it has done enough fact-finding and put in place enough countermeasures so that it can resume operations.
Of the company’s nuclear reactors, the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors at the Oi plant in Oi, Fukui Prefecture, are currently in operation.
The company plans to bring a total of five nuclear reactors online by the end of this year.
They will include the No. 3 reactor at the Mihama plant in Mihama, Fukui Prefecture, which started operations more than 40 years ago, as well as the No. 4 reactor at the Takahama plant, which is currently undergoing a regular inspection.
The government plans to have up to nine reactors operating this winter to prepare for expected severe energy shortages, including those of Kyushu Electric Power Co. and Shikoku Electric Power Co., Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced at a news conference on July 14.
VOX POPULI: Power company execs should think of liability if accident occurs
July 19, 2022
I see something akin to chaos in the notably varied conclusions different courts reached in their verdicts of the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which Tokyo Electric Power Co. operates.
Some courts ruled the government’s long-range assessment, which pointed out at an early date the possibility of a major tsunami, was scientifically reliable, while others raised their doubts.
Some verdicts severely questioned the responsibility of plant operators for failing to implement tsunami countermeasures, while other courts ruled that the government could not be held responsible as a regulatory authority because the disaster would have occurred no matter what countermeasures were in place.
Judges are human. As long as their decisions are made independently, I believe it is only natural that their opinions vary.
But as in a kaleidoscope where ordered patterns are created out of disorder, it may be possible to see a broad pattern emerge from the chaotic jumble of diverse court decisions.
When an accident occurs at a nuclear power plant, the government’s responsibility is not questioned too severely, but the utility and its executives are made to pay a huge price.
The Tokyo District Court on July 13 ordered former TEPCO Chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata and three other former top executives to pay 13 trillion yen (about $94 billion) in damages.
If this ruling holds, the defendants will probably have to sell off their entire personal assets and, if necessary, eventually file for personal bankruptcy. That is the sheer size of the compensation they will have to pay.
The industrial-bureaucratic-academic complex dealing with nuclear power is dubbed Genshiryoku Mura (Nuclear power village) in Japanese. The “villagers” share common interests, but they do not share a common destiny.
I wonder how TEPCO’s current executives feel about the reality that has emerged from the court rulings to date.
And the government, whose destiny remains independent of the village’s, has started calling louder for nuclear power plants to be brought back online.
I respectfully suggest to utility executives that they think very carefully, as many times as needed, about how much 13 trillion yen actually is.
Fukushima Prefecture Bar Association makes an emergency statement on the Supreme Court ruling on the nuclear power plant lawsuit
July 19, 2022
In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling last month that the government is not responsible for the nuclear power plant accident, the Fukushima Prefecture Bar Association called for a decision based on the actual situation in the other lawsuits.
On March 17, the Supreme Court ruled against the government’s responsibility in four class action lawsuits over the nuclear accident, stating that even if the government had obliged TEPCO to take measures to prevent a nuclear accident, there is a high possibility that an accident would have occurred.
In response, the Fukushima Prefecture Bar Association held a press conference in Fukushima City on March 19 and issued an emergency statement.
Daisuke Yorikane, attorney-at-law of the Fukushima Prefecture Bar Association, said, “In terms of responding to the wishes of the litigants, we are disappointed because we wanted the Supreme Court to give a proper opinion on the state of nuclear safety regulations in the country.
The statement pointed out that the Supreme Court’s decision was based solely on the theory of causality and could not be said to be responsive to the wishes of the plaintiffs.
The statement called for the Supreme Court to make a decision that recognizes the responsibility of the government based on the actual conditions of the other cases that are still ongoing.
Attorney Yorikane said, “I hope that (the government) will actively fulfill its responsibilities regarding the exercise of its authority based on scientific findings.
The Fukushima Prefecture Bar Association also referred to the government’s interim guidelines, which serve as the standard for compensation for damages, and called for a review of the guidelines according to the actual conditions of the damage in the future.
https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/tuf/99511?display=1&fbclid=IwAR1My4O3GcaHfiS3tUv-gwAaC2TiRnu0VK5ZeY4UQ8t-Sv7CL5Ig4bwuLBc
Aomori Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant Stops Cooling Function “Valve Mistakenly Closed?”
July 19, 2022
Regarding the trouble at a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture, where the cooling function for high-level radioactive liquid waste temporarily stopped, the operator, JNFL, revealed the results of its investigation, which indicated that workers likely accidentally closed a valve on an operating pipe that circulates water for cooling.
At the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant, the cooling system at one of the tanks storing high-level radioactive liquid waste stopped for about eight hours on the second of this month, and JNFL was investigating the cause.
There are two systems of piping for circulating cooling water, and as a result of the investigation, it was revealed at the press conference that there is a high possibility that workers mistakenly closed the valve of the piping in operation, when they were instructed to close the piping under construction.
According to JNFL, the valves were not clearly labeled and instructions were given only orally. JNFL said that it will take measures by the end of this month, such as attaching tags to valves in more than 500 locations in the building where the trouble occurred, so that the status of the system and valves open and closed can be identified.
JNFL has informed the Nuclear Regulation Authority and the local government of the results of the investigation and measures to prevent recurrence. We have strongly requested that JNFL take all possible safety measures, and the village will continue to closely monitor the response.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20220719/k10013725711000.html?fbclid=IwAR1JCD1htc96PAjbz9jJ3Zn7SKjRBvKTuL1akwhNLcdRkRH5J0fsUzTp7zM
Fukushima beach in former evacuation zone reopens after 11 years
Located 25 kilometers from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant… Madness!
July 16, 2022
Naraha, Fukushima Pref. – The Iwasawa swimming beach in the town of Naraha, Fukushima Prefecture, reopened Saturday for the first time since it was shut down after the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster.
The beach became the first swimming beach to reopen in areas once covered by evacuation orders issued after the triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The beach is located about 25 kilometers from the nuclear plant.
Before the disaster, the beach was popular among local surfers, attracting some 30,000 visitors every year.
Due to the tsunami, most of the beach’s facilities, such as a watch tower and revetment blocks, were destroyed.
As an evacuation order was issued for the whole of Naraha following the nuclear disaster, the beach had been left untouched.
After the evacuation ordered was lifted for Naraha in 2015, the town started fixing the damaged facilities in 2019 and completed the reconstruction work in March this year.
The town decided to reopen the beach after no problems were found in monitoring surveys of water quality and radioactive materials.
“We had to rebuild almost everything from scratch,” a town official said. “While preserving the atmosphere from before the disaster, we rebuilt beach facilities that are easier to use.”
Naraha Mayor Yukiei Matsumoto said, “We want the beach to once again become a popular tourist spot.”
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/07/16/national/fukushima-beach-reopens/
Fukushima Beach in Former Evacuation Zone Reopens
Too close, way too close. The effluent from the plant is still pouring into the ocean j_ust up the coast…
July 16, 2022
The Iwasawa swimming beach in the town of Naraha in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, reopened on Saturday for the first time since it was shut down after a major earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident hit the region in March 2011.
The beach became the first bathing resort to reopen in areas once covered by evacuation orders issued after the triple meltdown at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.’s disaster-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
The beach is located some 25 kilometers from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
Before the disaster, the beach was popular among local surfers, attracting some 30,000 visitors every year.
Due to the tsunami, most of the beach’s facilities, such as a watch tower and revetment blocks, were destroyed.
Building security on nuclear deterrence is not sustainable — Beyond Nuclear International
Involvement of Hibakusha and victims of nuclear testing is essential
Building security on nuclear deterrence is not sustainable — Beyond Nuclear International
1 This Month
19 February – VIRTUAL EVENT-Decision Time: AI and Our Nuclear Arsenal
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