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Record concentration of radioactive Cesium in fish near Fukushima nuclear station port

Alarm at Fukushima Nuclear Plant: Radioactivity too High, National Japan News, By Ken Tanaka & Norihisa Taguchi 23 February 2014

“…….There are presently not enough sturdy, above-ground tanks that can be used take the water from the pits in which it is stored, TEPCO General Manager Masayuki Ono said at a news conference. Water has been leaking from the pits over the lst few weekends.“………Contaminated Water And Records  Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has revealed that it may not have enough space to store the contaminated water that began to leak from its nuclear Fukushima plant over the weekend.

The company is still facing problems dealing with the consequences of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, as it attempts to keep reactors and spent fuel pools in a safe state known as cold shutdown.

A record quantity of radioactive cesium – 7,400 times the country’s limit deemed safe for human consumption – has been detected in a greenling fish in the waters near the crippled Fukushima plant, two years after the nuclear disaster.

radiation-in-sea--food-chaiTEPCO has also discovered a record 740,000 becquerels per kilogram of radioactive cesium in the fish, Kyodo News reported.

The operator installed a net on the seafloor of the port exit near the plant to prevent the fish from escaping.  The bottom-dwelling greenling fish was found in a cage set up by TEPCO inside the port next to the Fukushima Daiichi plant, a utility official told AP on condition of anonymity.

The company also indicated that the previous record of cesium concentration in fish was 510,000 becquerels per kilogram detected in another greenling caught in the same area, TEPCO said.https://onewayjapan.com/News-National/2015/09-Alarm-at-Fukushima-Nuclear-Plant-Radioactivity-too-High.html

February 25, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015, oceans | 1 Comment

Emergency inspections at Fukushima nuclear plant. as radioactivity alarms go off

Multiple Alarms Set Off at Fukushima Plant: New leak of highly radioactive material detected — “Strontium-90 levels spike alarmingly” — “Emergency inspections” underway (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/alarm-rings-fukushima-plant-new-leak-highly-radioactive-material-detected-strontium-90-levels-spike-alarmingly-video?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

AFP, Feb 22, 2015 (emphasis added): Sensors at the Fukushima nuclear plant have detected afresh leak of highly radioactive water into the sea… [with] contamination levels up to 70 times greater than the already-high radioactive status seen at the plant… TEPCO said itsemergency inspections of tanks storing nuclear waste water did not find any additional abnormalities… It was not immediately clear what caused the original spike… “With emergency surveys of the plant and monitoring of other sensors, we have no reason to believe tanks storing radioactive waste water have leaked… We are currently monitoring the sensors”…  The latest incident, one of several that have plagued the plant in recent months, reflects the difficulty in controlling and decommissioning the plant… TEPCO has not been able to effectively deal with an increasing amount of contaminated water…

NHK, Feb 22, 2015: Fukushima radioactive contamination sets off alarm — [TEPCO] says it has detected high levels of radioactive substances in a drainage channel on the plant’s premises on Sunday… the plant’s alarm system went off around 10 AM… levels of beta-ray emitting substances, which are not detected under normal circumstances, had risen to up to 7,230 Becquerels per liter… The utility suspects that contaminated water in the channel may have leaked into the port.

Japan Times, Feb 22, 2015: Strontium-90 levels spike alarmingly at Fukushima No. 1 plant — The Nuclear Regulation Authority said Sunday that an alarm went off at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant signaling high radioactivity levels in drainage ditches… the first alarm sounded at around 10 a.m., and another alarm 10 minutes later indicated much higher levels. Officials said contaminated water may have been discharged into the ditches.

(Link removed) Jiji Press, Feb 22, 2015: Radioactivity Alarm Rings at TEPCO Fukushima Plant

Watch NHK’s broadcast here

February 25, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015 | Leave a comment

Alarms as sudden higher radioactivity at Fukushima nuclear plant

Alarm at Fukushima Nuclear Plant: Radioactivity too High, National Japan News

23 February 2014 Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said that on Sunday that an alarm went off at the stricken Nuclear Power Plant of Fukushima No. 1.

The regulatory body reported that part of highly radioactive water flew into the plant’s port. It has yet to find out the cause of the situation.

According to Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority and TEPCO, the company running the Nuclear Power Plant, the first alarm sounded at around 10 a.m. (1 a.m. GMT) , and another alarm 10 minutes later indicated much higher radioactivity levels.

The levels of beta ray-emitting radioactive substances, such as strontium-90, measured between 10:20 a.m. ad 10:50 a.m. stood at 5,050 to 7,230 becquerels per liter of water. https://onewayjapan.com/News-National/2015/09-Alarm-at-Fukushima-Nuclear-Plant-Radioactivity-too-High.html

February 25, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015 | Leave a comment

Abe government “irresponsible” about nuclear wastes – Science Council of Japan

flag-japanNuclear waste disposal problem, Japan Times, FEB 22, 2015  Even as the Abe administration pushes for reactivating idled nuclear power reactors after they have cleared the Nuclear Regulation Authority’s safety screening, an open question remains: How will Japan dispose of highly radioactive waste produced by the nuclear reactors.

The trade and industry ministry has drafted a new policy on the waste scheme that paves the way for changing the disposal method in the future when policies change or new technologies become available, but it is far from clear if the move will facilitate the long-stalled process of finding a site for radioactive waste disposal.

Due to the lack of an established scheme for final disposal of the waste that would be generated after spent fuel is reprocessed, Japan’s nuclear power generation has long been likened to a condominium without a toilet. The absence of a solution was highlighted two years ago when former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vocally expressed opposition to restarting nuclear power reactors that had been idled in the wake of the 2011 meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Co.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.

wastes-Fukushima-for-incine

The government in 2000 adopted a policy of disposing of highly radioactive waste by burying it deep underground. A power industry organization has solicited municipalities across the country that would be ready to host the final disposal site. A financially strapped town in Kochi Prefecture came forward in 2007 to apply for a documentary review in the selection process. But the bid was eventually withdrawn when its mayor faced strong opposition from local residents. He was forced out of office in a subsequent election. No progress has since been made on the issue.

Meanwhile, doubts have been raised about the safety and technical viability of vitrifying and burying the radioactive waste — which would need to be managed for tens of thousands of years before its radioactivity declined to levels considered safe — in a country prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. …….

The government may be trying to win public support for restarting the idled reactors by demonstrating flexibility on moving the waste-disposal issue forward. But in its policy proposal now being prepared, the Science Council of Japan criticizes the government for being “irresponsible toward future generations” by seeking to restart the reactors without a decision on the waste-disposal site.

The council says it will be difficult to decide on the waste- disposal site “given that public trust in the government, power companies and scientists has been lost”………http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/02/22/editorials/nuclear-waste-disposal-problem/#.VOpJPXyUcnk

February 23, 2015 Posted by | Japan, wastes | 1 Comment

Yet another leak of highly radioactive water at Fukushima nuclear power plant

water-radiationFresh leak of highly radioactive water detected at Fukushima nuclear power plant, ABC News 23 Feb 15 

Sensors at the Fukushima nuclear plant have detected a fresh leak of highly radioactive water into the sea.

Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said the sensors, which were rigged to a gutter that pours rain and ground water at the Fukushima Daiichi plant to a nearby bay, detected contamination levels up to 70 times greater than the already-high radioactive status seen at the plant campus.

TEPCO said its emergency inspections of tanks storing nuclear waste water did not find any additional abnormalities, but the firm said it shut the gutter to prevent radioactive water from going into the Pacific Ocean.

The higher-than-normal levels of contamination were detected on Sunday, with sensors showing radiation levels 50 to 70 times greater than usual…….http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-22/fresh-nuclear-leak-detected-at-fukushima-plant/6200746

February 23, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015 | Leave a comment

7,230,000 Bq/m3 of all β nuclide leaked from drain to the sea / “Contamination level suddenly jumped up”

7230000-Bqm3-of-all-β-nuclide-leaked-from-drain-to-the-sea-Contamination-level-suddenly-jumped-up-800x500_c

On 2/22/2015, Tepco announced the radiation level suddenly jumped up in the plant area drain to let it flow to the sea.

According to Tepco, 2 radiation monitors detected the rapid increase of all β nuclide density (to include Strontium-90) around 10:00AM.

The indicated radiation level was 5,050,000 〜 5,630,000 Bq/m3.

It made Tepco check the potential leakage of the contaminated water tanks upstream and contaminated water transferring system, but they did not shut down the drain outlet for nearly 3 hours for some reason.

Extremely high level of all β nuclide was detected from seawater near the outlet, which was 3,000,000 Bq/m3. The contaminated water flowed to the sea.

The highest density detected by the monitor was 7,230,000 Bq/m3, which was 10 〜 100 times much as usual.

After all, Tepco found no leakage from contaminated water related facility upstream. There is a possibility that highly contaminated groundwater moved and flowed to the drain.

Currently they are collecting the water from drain by vacuum truck.

http://www.tepco.co.jp/cc/press/2015/1248294_6818.html

http://www.tepco.co.jp/cc/press/2015/1248296_6818.html

http://www.tepco.co.jp/cc/press/2015/1248297_6818.html

http://www.tepco.co.jp/nu/fukushima-np/roadmap/images/l140616_04-j.pdf

Source: Fukushima Diary

7,230,000 Bq/m3 of all β nuclide leaked from drain to the sea / “Contamination level suddenly jumped up”

February 22, 2015 Posted by | Japan | | Leave a comment

Strontium-90 levels spike alarmingly at Fukushima No. 1 plant

Feb 22, 2015 

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said Sunday that an alarm went off at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant signaling high radioactivity levels in drainage ditches.

According to the NRA and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., the first alarm sounded at around 10 a.m., and another alarm 10 minutes later indicated much higher levels. Officials said contaminated water may have been discharged into the ditches.

The levels of beta ray-emitting substances, such as strontium-90, measured 5,050 to 7,230 becquerels per liter of water between 10:20 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. Tepco requires radioactivity levels of groundwater at the plant discharged into the sea to remain below 5 becquerels.

Since the drainage ditches are connected to the port of the No. 1 plant, the NRA has instructed Tepco to shut the gates there, officials said.

Tepco confirmed that no leaks from tanks containing radioactive water were found, but said it was investing further.

Source: Japan Times

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/02/22/national/strontium-90-levels-spike-alarmingly-at-fukushima-no-1-plant/#.VOoTGy4bKKG

February 22, 2015 Posted by | Japan | | 2 Comments

Fukushima radioactive contamination sets off alarm

Feb. 22, 2015

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it has detected high levels of radioactive substances in a drainage channel on the plant’s premises on Sunday. The Tokyo Electric Power Company is investigating the cause.

TEPCO says the plant’s alarm system went off around 10 AM. It showed a rise in radioactivity in the channel that leads to a nearby port.

Measurements showed that levels of beta-ray emitting substances, which are not detected under normal circumstances, had risen to up to 7,230 Becquerels per liter.

The figure is 10 times higher than when rain causes the level to rise temporarily.

The utility suspects that contaminated water in the channel may have leaked into the port.

It has suspended all operations to transfer contaminated water and closed a gate of the channel by the port.

The drainage channel used to be connected to a section of coast beyond the port. TEPCO rerouted it after a series of leaks in 2013.

The company says the water level in a tank that contains contaminated water remains unchanged, showing no signs of leakage, and drain valves that keep water from leaking near the tanks remain closed.

The utility is investigating the cause of the rise of radioactivity in the channel.

Source: NHK

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150222_18.html

February 22, 2015 Posted by | Japan | | Leave a comment

International concern that Japan’s nuclear regulator will lose its independence from government

exclamation-Smflag-japanJapan nuclear regulator advisers fear loss of its ‘essential’ independence TOKYO Wed Feb 18, 2015 (Reuters)  by Aaron Sheldrick; and Kentaro Hamada – International advisers to Japan’s atomic regulator have raised concern a mandatory review of its performance could lead to a loss of independence for the body, which was set up in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

A lack of independent regulatory oversight of Tokyo Electric Power Co’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station north of Tokyo was to blame for the meltdowns after an earthquake and tsunami, an official inquiry into the disaster found.

After the disaster, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) was created under the environment ministry with more autonomy but legislation provided for a review after three years of operation with a proviso to consider placing it under the Cabinet Office, involving closer political oversight.

While welcoming a review of the NRA, the advisers, who include the chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s International Nuclear Safety Group, Richard Meserve, were concerned about political interference, they said in a document dated Wednesday and posted on the regulator’s website.

“We … are concerned about any transfer of authority that would serve to compromise the regulator’s independence,” the document said…….

The review of NRA operations started in September but no decisions have been made on whether the Cabinet Office will assume oversight……

The Cabinet Office coordinates planning and policy on issues of crucial national importance and works as the “place of wisdom” in support of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, according to its website.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a strong proponent of nuclear power and wants to restart reactors that pass the new safety regime, after all units were shut down gradually in the wake of the Fukushima crisis, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986……http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/18/us-japan-nuclear-concerns-idUSKBN0LM0I420150218

February 20, 2015 Posted by | Japan, politics | Leave a comment

Australian reporter tours crumbling Fukushima nuclear plant

Entry to closed areas would lead to instant death

The only way TEPCO can control the meltdowns in 1, 2 and 3 is to pump water in to cool them, but the water becomes highly radioactive and mixes with the massive amount of groundwater that flows into the reactors from the surrounding hills.

Locals distrust TEPCO, say future is ‘hopeless’

text-Fukushima-2015

Inside Fukushima: ABC tours crippled power plant as Japan prepares to restart nuclear industry http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-18/japan-prepares-to-restart-their-nuclear-power-program/6142528 Exclusive by North Asia correspondent Matthew Carney Almost four years after the Fukushima disaster, Japan is about to restart its nuclear industry.

The 2011 meltdowns at the tsunami-hit plant prompted a shutdown of all Japan’s nuclear power stations and saw the power station’s operator TEPCO accused of cover-ups and gross negligence.

TEPCO says radiation levels at Fukushima have significantly decreased and major steps have been taken to decommission the molten reactors.

Others say the plant cannot be fixed and thousands of people will never be allowed to return to their homes because of high radiation.

With vacuum-sealed protection gear and special breathing apparatus, TEPCO gave the ABC an exclusive tour of the crippled plant. Continue reading →

February 20, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015 | Leave a comment

Worker deaths at Fukushima nuclear plant

Professor: Fukushima workers told us about “all of the deaths” happening at nuclear plant — We stayed at their dormitory and “learned a lot about what’s going on there, it really is not pretty” — Instructor who was with him on trip weeps while topic is discussed (VIDEO) http://enenews.com/professor-fukushima-workers-revealed-all-deaths-happened-nuclear-plant-stayed-dormitory-learned-lot-about-whats-going-really-pretty-instructor-during-trip-weeps-during-conversation-video?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ENENews+%28Energy+News%29

Wesleyan University, Feb. 3, 2015 (at 12:45 in):

  • William Johnston, Professor of History and East Asian Studies at Wesleyan University, Feb 3, 2015: [Eiko Otake, Visiting Artist at Wesleyan’s College of East Asian Studies, and I] hopped on the train in Tokyo… then rented a car… and we went to the town of Hirono, which is fairly close to the Daiichi reactors… Eiko found a place for us to stay there which was basically a dormitory for these workers. That opened up a whole other world to us. We sat down and had dinner, and we talked…. It was fascinating… we learned a heck of a lot about what was going on there.
  • Eiko Otake: (sobbing) Oh God…
  • Johnston: It really is not pretty. All of the deaths which have happened with subcontractors, which allows Tepco — which basically owns the place, manages it, but they work through subcontractors – and then when somebody dies, Tepco can say, “None of our men have died, of course not.”… In summer time we also learned of other things that were going on, but we couldn’t get the same lodging.

Asahi Shimbun, Feb 17, 2015: [TEPCO] submitted its plan to provide wide-ranging training programs for workers [after] a string of accidents, some of them fatal… Nine serious accidents occurred between March 2014 and January 2015, resulting in two deaths and eight serious injuries. The labor ministry ordered TEPCO to develop measures to prevent similar incidents following the death of a 55-year-old worker in January… [TEPCO] submitted the plans on Feb. 16 to the labor ministry… outlining countermeasures against occupational injuries and deaths. The report attributed the accidents to tight schedules and a lack of experience… a TEPCO official vowed that the utility would proceed with decommissioning the reactors with the highest priority on safety, saying, “We will ascertain (the pressure on the workers imposed by tight deadlines) by enhancing communication.”… “We have to prevent a situation in which workers feel it is no longer safe to work at the Fukushima plant,” a TEPCO official said. The plant operator also intends to accelerate decommissioning and improve efficiency… so employees will be able to work longer at the plant site before reaching the annual radiation exposure limit of 50 millisieverts.

AFP, Feb 17. 2015: In its preliminary report issued yesterday the IAEA also said it “strongly encourages Tepco… to reinforce safety leadership and safety culture” at the plant, where some 7,000 workers are engaged. One man died there in January after falling into a water tank. “There is still some room to enhance this interaction between radiation safety and labour safety through more integrated plans,” [an IAEA official] said.

Watch the discussion with Prof. Johnston and Eiko Otake here

February 20, 2015 Posted by | employment, Fukushima 2015, Japan | Leave a comment

Japan highway to open near Fukushima, with no exits allowed

Highway to Open Near Fukushima Nuclear Plant; No Exits Allowed  http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/02/19/highway-to-open-near-fukushima-nuclear-plant-no-exits-allowed/East Nippon Expressway Co. said it will open the complete Joban Expressway on March 1. The highway, most sections of which were already in operation, runs northeast from Saitama prefecture north of Tokyo through the Tohoku region in northern Japan. The final portion to be finished will pass through the towns of Okuma and Futaba in Fukushima prefecture where the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is located.

Here are five numbers to know about the Joban Expressway.

14.3 Kilometers

Completion of the expressway was substantially delayed by the nuclear accident triggered by the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011. The final section is located between the Joban Tomioka interchange and Namie interchange, and is 14.3 kilometers (about nine miles)long. The entire Joban Expressway is approximately 300 kilometers.

Six Kilometers

The closest the expressway gets to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is approximately six kilometers. While drivers can ride on the expressway without any special permit, they are not allowed to make detours or get off the road.

Six Radiation Counters

According to a spokesman at East Nippon Expressway Co., there are six radiation counters set up outdoors alongside the road in the 14.3 kilometer section. On Tuesday, the counters showed 5.5 microsieverts per hour. Radiation exposure during a commercial flight between Frankfurt and Singapore is 39 microsieverts, according to the Australian nuclear safety agency.

0.2 Microsieverts

According to a test conducted by the government, a driver inside a car traveling at 70 kilometers per hour would be exposed to 0.2 microsieverts of radiation during a one-way trip on the 14.3 kilometer section. That’s about 1/300 of the radiation exposure during a chest X-ray, the government said.

15 Centimeters

Special measures were taken to decrease the level of radiation in the 14.3 kilometer section. For example, slopes around the expressway and the shoulder of the road have been paved with additional thickness to about 15 centimeters to prevent any seeping of contaminated soil or water from the ground.

February 20, 2015 Posted by | Japan, safety | Leave a comment

Minors told to lie about their age, to work at Fukushima cleanup

Executive Arrested for Exploiting Youth to Help Cleanup at Fukushima Sputnik News 18 Feb 15 Aichi Prefectural Police arrested a construction firm executive on Wednesday for sending a 15-year-old boy to help clean up radioactive waste outside the Fukushima nuclear plant.

 Police arrested the manager of a construction firm at Fukushima for using a 15 year old boy to help eliminate soil and debris contaminated by radioactive substances released in the nuclear accident in Fukushima Prefecture…….

Chiba apparently told the teenager not to reveal his real age, saying: “Our construction sites do not allow minors under 18 years of age to work. If anyone questions you, tell them you’re 18.”

The boy was to be paid a daily income of 3,000 yen ($25.25) for the decontamination work. However, he left before being paid after he was physically attacked by Chiba.

According to the police, there were more cases of minors involved in similar jobs in the Fukushima region.

The Koriyama branch of the Fukushima District Court sentenced the president of a Fukushima-based construction firm to two years in prison in October 2013 for having seven minors lie about their ages and participate in decontamination work.

The involvement of criminal organizations in the business has also become a rising concern. The tax money for decontamination is likely to be funding criminal organization.http://sputniknews.com/asia/20150219/1018473544.html

February 20, 2015 Posted by | Fukushima 2015 | Leave a comment

Japanese media reports IAEA urged to dump contaminated water into ocean but no such statement made in real

Japanese-media-reports-IAEA-urged-to-dump-contaminated-water-into-ocean-but-no-such-statement-made-in-real-800x500_c

February 19

Japanese media is misleading the Japanese citizens to accept the discharge of contaminated water to the Pacific as a request of an international organization

On 2/17/2015, IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) completed third review of Japan’s plans to decommission Fukushima plant.

NHK and other major Japanese media covered the press conference by Juan Carlos Lentijo, leader of IAEA inspection team and reported that he strongly recommended to consider discharging contaminated water into the Pacific.

They read the increasing contaminated water storage is stopping the decommissioning plan, they are running out of the storage place.

However on the website of IAEA, they actually state only “The IAEA team considered the current practice of storing contaminated water a temporary measure and highlighted the need for a more sustainable solution. “, which does not mention “discharge”. In the statement they highly evaluated “the improvement and expansion of systems to clean contaminated water”, “the installation of new, improved tanks to store contaminated water” and “the operation of an underground water bypass system”, which have been implemented since 2013.

None of the Japanese media released the unedited press conference video without interpreted subtitle.

http://ai.2ch.sc/test/read.cgi/newsplus/1424236682/

https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-team-completed-third-review-japans-plans-decommission-fukushima

Source: Fukushima Diary

Japanese media reports IAEA urged to dump contaminated water into ocean but no such statement made in real

February 19, 2015 Posted by | Japan | | Leave a comment

Walking atop an underground battle

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February 19, 2015

FUKUSHIMA — The mass of machinery that engineers hope can stem the relentless flow of water into the gutted Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant impresses by its sheer size as well as its ambitious aim.

Huge 55cm-diameter ducts snake out from the roof of the refrigeration plant that forms the heart of this beast, which Tokyo Electric Power Co. showed the media for the first time Wednesday. When it starts beating, a minus 30 C solution of calcium chloride will course through them at 2 meters per second.

This refrigerant will circulate through more than 1,500 buried pipes encircling four of the plant’s six reactor buildings. If all goes according to plan, a “frozen earth” wall will form, stopping the influx of groundwater that now leaks back out as streams of radioactive contamination.

The refrigeration plant houses 30 units, each with a capacity of about 70 tons of refrigeration, defined as the heat reduction needed to freeze a ton of 0 C water in 24 hours. To put this in perspective, a Tepco guide described it as the freezing capacity of two tuna-fishing ships.

While the system entails 3.5km of ductwork, it will operate by the same principle as a household fridge. After absorbing heat from the soil and re-emerging from the ground, the refrigerant, now warmed up to minus 20-something, will be cooled back down to the right temperature with CFCs. All 30 units will go on full blast until the soil congeals, after which about half will be turned off, Tepco said.

Only about 15% of the equipment is in place. Tepco plans to start freezing the ground on the inland side, which is about 90% finished, before closing the circle on the coastal side.

Tepco had initially aimed to complete the installation by the end of March. But a fatal accident brought everything to halt for roughly two weeks while the company performed safety checks. Work resumed Feb. 3 but is running two to four weeks behind schedule.

“We’re putting safety before our schedule,” Fukushima Daiichi manager Akira Ono said.

Roughly half of the workers at the plant call Fukushima Prefecture home. For them, staying safe is not only about protecting themselves, but also about sparing their disaster-ravaged communities any more pain.

Snow fell at the plant on the day of the media tour. Gloves were little help against the biting cold, and the goggles shielding our eyes from radiation kept fogging up. For the 6,000-plus workers a day who toil at the ruined plant, such grim conditions have become a fact of life.

Source: Nikkei Asian Review

http://asia.nikkei.com/Japan-Update/Walking-atop-an-underground-battle

February 19, 2015 Posted by | Japan | | Leave a comment