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‘Nervous and rushed’: Massive Fukushima plant cleanup work involves high radiation and stress

Experts say the hard work and huge challenges of decommissioning the plant are just beginning. There are estimations that the work could take more than a century. The government and TEPCO have an initial completion target of 2051, but the retrieval of melted fuel debris is already three years behind, and many big issues remain undecided.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS, 12 March 2025

OKUMA, Japan (AP) – The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant’s radiation levels have significantly dropped since the cataclysmic meltdown in Japan 14 years ago. Workers walk around in many areas wearing only surgical masks and regular clothes.

It’s a different story for those who enter the reactor buildings, including the three damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. They must use maximum protection – full facemasks with filters, multi-layered gloves and socks, shoe covers, hooded hazmat coveralls and a waterproof jacket, and a helmet.

As workers remove melted fuel debris from the reactors in a monumental nuclear cleanup effort that could take more than a century, they are facing both huge amounts of psychological stress and dangerous levels of radiation.

The Associated Press, which recently visited the plant for a tour and interviews, takes a closer look.

A remote-controlled extendable robot with a tong had several mishaps including equipment failures before returning in November with a tiny piece of melted fuel from inside the damaged No. 2 reactor.

That first successful test run is a crucial step in what will be a daunting, decades-long decommissioning that must deal with at least 880 tons of melted nuclear fuel that has mixed with broken parts of internal structures and other debris inside the three ruined reactors…………………………………………………

Radiation levels are still dangerously high inside the No. 2 reactor building, where the melted fuel debris is behind a thick concrete containment wall. Earlier decontamination work reduced those radiation levels to a fraction of what they used to be.

In late August, small groups took turns doing their work helping the robot in 15- to 30-minute shifts to minimize radiation exposure. They have a remotely controlled robot, but it has to be manually pushed in and out.

“Working under high levels of radiation (during a short) time limit made us feel nervous and rushed,” said Yasunobu Yokokawa, a team leader for the mission. “It was a difficult assignment.”

Full-face masks reduced visibility and made breathing difficult, an extra waterproof jacket made it sweaty and hard to move, and triple-layered gloves made their fingers clumsy, Yokokawa said.

To eliminate unnecessary exposure, they taped around gloves and socks and carried a personal dosimeter to measure radiation. Workers also rehearsed the tasks they’d perform to minimize exposure…………………………………………………..

 a growing number of workers are concerned about safety and radiation at the plant, said Ono, the decommissioning chief, citing an annual survey of about 5,5,00 workers……

Yokokawa and a plant colleague, Hiroshi Ide, helped in the 2011 emergency and are team leaders today. They say they want to make the job safer as workers face high radiation in parts of the plant.

On the top floor of the No. 2 reactor, workers are setting up equipment to remove spent fuel units from the cooling pool. That’s set to begin within two to three years.

At the No. 1 reactor, workers are putting up a giant roof to contain radioactive dust from decontamination work on the top floor ahead of the removal of spent fuel.

To minimize exposure and increase efficiency, workers use a remote-controlled crane to attach pre-assembled parts, according to TEPCO. The No. 1 reactor and its surroundings are among the most contaminated parts of the plant.

Workers are also removing treated radioactive wastewater. They recently started dismantling the emptied water tanks to make room to build facilities needed for the research and storage of melted fuel debris.

After a series of small missions by robots to gather samples, experts will determine a larger-scale method for removing melted fuel, first at the No. 3 reactor.

Experts say the hard work and huge challenges of decommissioning the plant are just beginning. There are estimations that the work could take more than a century. The government and TEPCO have an initial completion target of 2051, but the retrieval of melted fuel debris is already three years behind, and many big issues remain undecided.

Ide, whose home in Namie town, northwest of the plant, is in a no-go zone because of nuclear contamination, still has to put on a hazmat suit, even for brief visits home…….
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-14484347/Nervous-rushed-Massive-Fukushima-plant-cleanup-exposes-workers-high-radiation-stress.html

March 13, 2025 Posted by | Fukushima continuing, safety | Leave a comment

Rainbow Warrior arrives in Marshall Islands to call for nuclear and climate justice on 40th anniversary of Rongelap evacuation

Greenpeace flagship the Rainbow Warrior

Greenpeace International, 11 March 2025 ,
https://www.greenpeace.org/international/press-release/73392/rainbow-warrior-arrives-in-marshall-islands-to-call-for-nuclear-and-climate-justice-on-40th-anniversary-of-rongelap-evacuation/

Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands – Greenpeace flagship vessel the Rainbow Warrior was welcomed back to the Marshall Islands today, marking the start of a six-week mission around the Pacific nation to elevate calls for nuclear and climate justice; and support independent scientific research into the impacts of decades-long nuclear weapons testing by the US government.[1] 

Escorted by traditional canoes, and welcomed by Marshallese singing and dancing, the arrival of the Rainbow Warrior marks a significant moment in the shared history of Greenpeace and the Marshall Islands — 40 years since Greenpeace crew evacuated over 300 people from the Rongelap atoll to Mejatto island, after toxic nuclear fallout from the Castle Bravo test rendered their ancestral lands uninhabitable.[2] The ship was given a blessing by the Council of Iroij, the traditional chiefs of the Islands; with speeches from Senator Hilton Kendall (Rongelap atoll); Honorable Boaz Lamdik on behalf of the Mayor of Majuro; Farrend Zackious, Vice Chairman Council of Iroij; and keynote address from Minister Bremity Lakjohn, Minister Assistant to the President.

Shiva Gounden, Head of Pacific at Greenpeace Australia Pacific, said:

“We’re extremely grateful and humbled to be welcomed back by the Marshallese government and community with such kindness and generosity of spirit. Over the coming weeks, we’ll travel around this beautiful country, bearing witness to the impacts of nuclear weapons testing and the climate crisis, and listening to the lived experiences of Marshallese communities fighting for justice.

“For decades, Marshallese communities have been sacrificing their lands, health, and cultures for the greed of those seeking profits and power. But at the same time, the Marshallese people have been some of the loudest voices calling for justice, accountability, and ambitious solutions to some of the greatest issues facing the world. Greenpeace is proud to stand alongside the Marshallese people in their demands for nuclear justice and reparations, and the fight against colonial exploitation which continues to this day. Justice – Jimwe im Maron“

Over the six-week mission, the Rainbow Warrior will travel to Mejatto, Enewetak, Bikini, Rongelap, and Wotje, undertaking much-needed independent radiation research, and reaffirming its solidarity with the Marshallese people — now facing further harm and displacement from the climate crisis, and the emerging threat of deep sea mining in the Pacific.

Jobod Silk, a climate activist from Jo-Jikum, a youth organisation responding to climate change, said:

“Marshallese culture has endured many hardships over the generations. Colonial powers have each left their mark on our livelihoods – introducing foreign diseases, influencing our language with unfamiliar syllables, and inducing mass displacement “for the good of mankind”. Yet, our people continue to show resilience. Liok tut bok: as the roots of the Pandanus bury deep into the soil, so must we be firm in our love for our culture.  

“Today’s generation now battles a new threat. Once our provider, the ocean now knocks at our doors, and once again, displacement is imminent. Our crusade for nuclear justice intertwines with our fight against the tides. We were forced to be refugees, and we refuse to be labeled as such again.  As the sea rises, so do the youth. The return of the Rainbow Warrior instills hope for the youth in their quest to secure a safe future.”

Dr Rianne Teule, Senior Radiation Protection Advisor at Greenpeace International, said:

“It is an honour and a privilege to be able to support the Marshallese government and people in conducting independent scientific research to investigate, measure, and document the long term effects of US nuclear testing across the country.

“As a result of the US government’s actions, the Marshallese people have suffered the direct and ongoing effects of nuclear fallout, including on their health, cultures, and lands. We hope that our research will support legal proceedings currently underway and the Marshall Islands government’s ongoing calls for reparations.” 

The Rainbow Warrior’s arrival to the Marshall Islands on March 11 also marks the 14th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Whilst some residents have returned, there are many areas that remain too contaminated for people to safely live.[3]

March 13, 2025 Posted by | opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

At Haverigg Today – the Nuclear LIE of a “Safe” and “Secure” Sub-Sea Nuclear Dump.

At Haverigg Today – the Nuclear LIE of a “Safe” and “Secure” Sub-Sea Nuclear Dump.

The sub-sea area involved would be 26 to 50 km square. The “smaller” area proposed would be the size of Tuvalu at 26 km square. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of ongoing research projects into, for example, the release of radioactive gases, how the heat generated would impact the geology, the steel containments and the bentonite backfill.

These ongoing research projects throw up more questions regarding the safety of long term containment. Nuclear Waste Services are asking locals who are now in reciept of nuclear dump community funds, to express support for an experiment. An experiment which will impact their health and the environment for generations to come.   Those who are not “local” who would also be impacted are deliberately excluded from “having a say.” 

March 13, 2025 Posted by | UK, wastes | Leave a comment

Chris Hedges: Trump’s Christian Fascists and the War on Palestine

the usual absurdity that the Hebrew Bible, written 4,000 years ago, can be used to draw contemporary national borders.

March 11, 2025, By Chris Hedges / ScheerPost

Christian Nationalists who form the bedrock of support for Donald Trump — 80 percent voted for Trump in the last election according to a voter survey by the Associated Press — have mounted a concerted campaign calling on the White House to back Israel’s annexation of the West Bank and Gaza.

This campaign includes visits to Israel by prominent leaders, including Ralph Reed, Tony Perkins and Mario Bramnick, petitioning the White House, lobbying Congress and calls for annexation at Christian conferences, including a resolution of support for Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank adopted at the most recent Conservative Political Action Conference. The National Religious Broadcasters (NRB) Convention in Dallas, in March, gathered over 200 signatures from pastors and right-wing religious leaders from across the United States calling for the annexation of “Judea and Samaria” — the purported biblical name for the West Bank —and declaring the two state solution “a failed experiment.”

American Christian Leaders for Israel, which says it represents a network of “over 3,000 organizational leaders from across the nation, including the National Religious Broadcasters,” endorsed the NRB resolution and sent it to Trump. Congresswoman Claudia Tenney and five other members of the congressional “Friends of Judea and Samaria Caucus,” sent a letter to Trump asking to “recognize the right of Israel” to declare sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territories, arguing that it will advance “the Judeo-Christian heritage on which our nation was founded.”

Trump, who rescinded a Biden administration executive order that sanctioned Jewish colonists in the West Bank for human rights violations, promised, on Feb. 4, to make an announcement in the “next four weeks,” about possible annexation of the West Bank. This follows Trump’s call for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza and death threats to the Palestinians unless they release Israeli hostages. “You’re talking about probably a million and a half people, and we just clean out that whole thing,” Trump said of Gaza while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One.

The agenda of Zionist extremists and Christian fascists, who hold senior positions throughout the Trump administration, have long converged. The language, iconography and symbolism used by the Christian and Jewish fascists is biblical. But the bonds are political, not religious.

I detail the history and ideology of our homegrown fascism and its kinship with Jewish fascism in my book, “American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America.”

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and a Baptist minister, has been nominated by Trump to be the U.S. ambassador to Israel. Huckabee has said there is “no such thing as a Palestinian” and asserted that Palestinian identity is “a political tool to try and force land away from Israel.” He proposes that any Palestinian state should be created outside of Israel in neighboring countries such as Egypt, Syria or Jordan. He dismisses the two-state solution as “irrational and unworkable.”

“I believe the scripture. Genesis 12: Those who bless Israel will be blessed; those who curse Israel will be cursed. I want to be on the blessing side, not the curse side,” Huckabee says.

John Ratcliffe, appointed by Trump to run the Central Intelligence Agency, advocates assisting Israel in what he described as its “foot-on-their-throat” approach against Iran.

Trump’s Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — who argues that “Zionism and Americanism are the front-lines of Western civilization and freedom in our world today” — pedals the usual absurdity that the Hebrew Bible, written 4,000 years ago, can be used to draw contemporary national borders…………………………………………………………………………………….

Jewish supremacy, like the supremacy of the Christian fascists, is, these fanatics claim, sanctified by God. The slaughter of the Palestinians, who Benjamin Netanyahu compared to the biblical Amalekites, are the incarnate of evil and deserve to be massacred. Euro-Americans in the American colonies used the same biblical passage to justify the genocide of Native Americans. Violence and the threat of violence are the only forms of communication those inside the magical circle of Jewish nationalism or Christian nationalism speak…………………………………………………………………………….. more https://scheerpost.com/2025/03/11/chris-hedges-trumps-christian-fascists-and-the-war-on-palestine/

March 13, 2025 Posted by | Religion and ethics, USA, weapons and war | Leave a comment

Human error leads to water spill at Finnish EPR

 About 100 cubic metres of slightly radioactive water flowed into rooms
within the containment of Olkiluoto unit 3 after a hatch in the reactor
pool was not properly closed before the filling of the pool began.

 World Nuclear News 10th March 2025, https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/human-error-leads-to-water-spill-at-finnish-epr

March 13, 2025 Posted by | incidents | Leave a comment

Let’s hear it for the ‘blockers’ – support common sense, not nonsense!

BANNG.info 10 March 2025 Andrew Blowers discusses this in the March 2025 edition of Regional Life,  https://www.banng.info/news/regional-life/blockers/

With the headline ‘Government rips up rules to fire-up nuclear power’, the Prime Minister launched an intemperate assault on the ‘blockers who have strangled our chances of cheaper energy, growth and jobs for far too long.’

If blocking means using common sense to protect the public and environments from dangerous, destructive developments like new nuclear, then BANNG along with many other groups is proud to be a ‘blocker’.

The PM’s outrageous attack on environmentalists, conservation groups, councils and even regulators was a stream of assertions, misjudgements, half-truths and nonsense.

Let’s look at some of the claims made and our responses:

1) ‘Blockers create delay and obstruction’: Big infrastructure projects must be properly scrutinised to ensure safety and environmental protection.
2) ‘Investors are held back’: On the contrary, it is investors who hold back, pulling out of major projects at Sellafield, Wylfa and Bradwell and still no sign of investors chomping at the bit to get Sizewell C off the ground.
3) ‘Projects are suffocated by regulations’: Regulation focuses on public safety and environmental protection. Cutting rules or corners is a charter for unconstrained development and can lead to disasters like Grenfell Tower. More regulation not less is needed to achieve net zero.
4) ‘Growth is blocked by trivial objections’: The PM scoffs at the campaign by ‘blockers’ to ensure acoustic deterrents are installed to prevent millions of fish being killed at Hinkley Point C through entrapment in the cooling pipes. He is offended when Sizewell C campaigners take EDF to court for destroying a precious native woodland or for failing to secure adequate water supply for the gigantic power station before the go-ahead has been given. Efforts to protect species, heritage and environments from destruction should be supported, not denigrated by uninformed politicians.
5) ‘Rip up planning rules to prioritise growth’: For years nuclear development was ‘restricted’ to eight “potentially suitable” sites [including Bradwell] as part of archaic planning rules that haven’t been looked at since 2011. In fact, apart from Hinkley Point C and Sizewell C, it was developers who shied away from the eight sites, not planners who blocked development.
6) ‘Build nuclear stations in the places that need them’: In effect, the Government has now conceded by scrapping the set list of eight sites and introducing an alternative siting strategy – effectively a developer-led free-for-all so firms can start building nuclear stations ‘in the places that need them.’ Even so, some of the eight sites are already earmarked for clusters of Small Modular reactors (SMRs) – the (not so) mini nuclear power stations that have yet to be developed, let alone deployed. Finding locations where they are supposedly needed is not the same as finding sites where they are wanted. The old problems of safety, radioactive waste and cooling water will arise and provoke resistance from local ‘blockers’.

Paradoxically, Bradwell is likely to be by-passed in the surge for new sites. It is, at long last, delisted and its remote location and vulnerable coastal conditions make it absolutely unsuitable.

So, let’s hear it for the ‘blockers like BANNG and the 10,000 signatories from around the Blackwater of our face-to-face Petition, who put common sense before nonsense to protect local environments and communities.

March 13, 2025 Posted by | spinbuster | Leave a comment

EDF unveils fresh details on new fish deterrent technology to be used at Hinkley Point C

 An alternative acoustic fish deterrent (AFD) system is being proposed for
the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station near Burnham-On-Sea to end a
bitter row over some of the site’s environmental measures.

The move sees EDF, which owns the nuclear power site, drop the controversial idea to
create new salt marshes along the Severn Estuary rather than fit AFDs to
the station’s water intake turbines. The company had been applying to the
Environment Agency for permission to not fit AFDs due to the high cost and
the danger for divers involved in fitting them in the fast-flowing tides
and poor visibility of the Bristol Channel.

Now, Hinkley C stakeholder relations head Andrew Cockcroft has said an innovative new form of AFD could be used. Mr Cockcroft said it was EDF’s preferred solution to the
issue of deterring fish from swimming too close to the Hinkley intakes and
being sucked in. He told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The technology, pioneered
in the South West, is proven and deployed internationally.” “We are now
working with experts to provide the scientific data to underpin the case
for using it at Hinkley Point C.”

“We have received positive feedback
from environmental groups and this option is now our preferred solution
rather pursuing salt marsh creation.” Andrew Cockcroft adds that all salt
marsh design and development would be paused while work continues in 2025
to prove the effectiveness of the new AFD system. The new AFDs are already
used in fishing fleets around the world, with the technology using
electronic transducers to target specific fish species with high-frequency
sound.

 Burnham-on-Sea.com 9th March 2025, https://www.burnham-on-sea.com/news/edf-unveils-fresh-details-on-new-fish-deterrent-technology-to-be-used-at-hinkley-point-c/

March 13, 2025 Posted by | environment, UK | Leave a comment

Councillors oppose nuclear dump site near Louth

‘Six more communities are now facing this devastation

By Peter Craig, Reporter, 10 Mar 25

 Councillors have voted to oppose a nuclear dump site near Louth. East
Lindsey District Council want to persuade Lincolnshire County Council to do
the same and say NO to the proposed 1,000 acre site at Great Carlton.

 Grimsby Telegraph 11th March 2025, https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news/grimsby-news/councillors-oppose-nuclear-dump-site-10001353

March 13, 2025 Posted by | opposition to nuclear, UK, wastes | Leave a comment