Gov't expects more than 30 years to decommission Fukushima nuclear reactors

[kristopher]

Gov't expects more than 30 years to decommission Fukushima nuclear reactors

Japan is expected to take more than 30 years to fully decommission crippled nuclear reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, according to a draft report compiled by the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan obtained by the Mainichi on Oct. 26.

It is the first time for the government's body to officially state that it is expected to take "more than 30 years" to decommission the troubled No. 1 to 4 nuclear reactors. According to the draft report, the work to remove spent nuclear fuel from nuclear fuel pools would begin sometime after 2015, while the work to remove melted nuclear fuel from the reactors would start sometime after 2022. The draft report is expected to be endorsed at a study meeting on Oct. 28 of experts on medium- and long-term measures....

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20111027p2a00m0na014000c.html

Study: Japan nuke radiation higher than estimated

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Fukushima nuclear disaster released twice as much of a radioactive substance into the atmosphere as Japanese authorities estimated, reaching 40 percent of the total from Chernobyl, a preliminary report says.

The estimate of much higher levels of radioactive cesium-137 comes from a worldwide network of sensors. Study author Andreas Stohl of the Norwegian Institute for Air Research says the Japanese government estimate came only from data in Japan, and that would have missed emissions blown out to sea.

The study did not consider health implications of the radiation. Cesium-137 is dangerous because it can last for decades in the environment, releasing cancer-causing radiation....
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20111028p2g00m0dm022000c.html

That study, of course, does not include the huge, ongoing release of contamination into the water. We do, however, have a new estimate from France that is a bit higher than what TEPCO claimed.

Thursday, October 27, 2011
France's IRSN New Estimate on Amount of Cesium-137 into the Pacific Ocean: 27,100 Terabequerels, or 20 Times TEPCO's Estimate

From Jiji Tsushin (10/28/2011):
フランス政府系の放射線防護原子力安全研究所(IRSN)は27日、東京電力福島第1原発事故後の3月21日から7月半ばまでに海に流出した放射性セシウ ム137の総量は2.71京ベクレル(1京は1兆の1万倍)で、東京電力が6月に発表した推計値の20倍に達すると推定した調査報告書を公表した。

On October 27, the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN, Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire) of France announced its research report in which the researchers estimated the total amount of radioactive cesium-137 leaked from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean was 27,100 terrabecquerels from March 21 to mid July. The IRSN estimate is 20 times as much as the estimate announced in June by TEPCO.

単独の事故によるものとしては過去最大規模という。このうち82%は、事故が起きた原子炉を冷やすための放水によって4月8日までに流れ出たとされる。

According to IRSN, it is the largest amount of radiation leak in a single accident. 82% of the leak took place by April 8, because of the spraying of water to cool the reactors...
http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/10/frances-irsn-new-estimate-on-amount-of.html

Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Groundwater Flowing Into Fukushima Nuclear Plant

TOKYO (Kyodo)--Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday it suspects that 200 to 500 tons a day of groundwater might be flowing through pits and wall cracks into reactor and turbine buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant crippled by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami...
http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20110920D20JF261.htm

TEPCO won't build retaining wall to stop radioactive water seeping into ground water

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the operator of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, has given up a plan to install a land-side retaining wall aimed at preventing radioactive water from permeating into the ground water, the utility has announced.

The utility, however, will construct an ocean-side retaining wall to prevent contaminated water from leaking into the sea, starting on Oct. 28.

TEPCO had initially planned to build a land-side retaining wall (an underground dam) as well, thereby surrounding all four sides of the reactor buildings and turbine buildings of the No. 1 through No. 4 reactors at the plant, in order to prevent highly radioactive water from coming into contact with the ground water....
http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20111027p2a00m0na009000c.html

[kristopher]

1. TEPCO won't build retaining wall to stop radioactive water seeping into ground water

There is another article (link below) about insuring nuclear plants. This instance is a real world example of what you get when the problem is just too large for any practical amount of money to address. It is similar to the DeepWater Horizon blowout in many ways.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x315298

[CJvR]

2. IIRC...

...30 years is about what a regular decom of a NPS would take as well. I have two outside my window and they have been switshed off for over a decade now.