NISA Presents TEPCO's Severe Accident Operation Manual

It is available at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's website, along with the "event-based" operation manual.

Severe Accident Operation Manual: http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2011/10/20111024003/20111024003-4.pdf

Event-Based Operation Manual: http://www.meti.go.jp/press/2011/10/20111024003/20111024003-3.pdf

But as I posted here already, it didn't matter. The severe accident manual still assumed some form of electricity would still be available in case of a severe accident. It wasn't available (station blackout), and the company couldn't use the manual.

I believe TEPCO's and NISA's initial unwillingness to submit the documents without redaction may have come from two considerations:

• security reasons, not particularly for Fukushima I Nuke Plant or for TEPCO, but for the similar plants with multiple BWRs in other parts of Japan and the world which may have very similar operation manuals;

• on-going national policy and effort to sell nuclear power plants with operational expertise (by TEPCO) overseas, particularly in developing countries like Turkey which just had an earthquake that have killed hundreds.

Curiously, the US nuclear regulator NRC issued an updated version of its paper "Regulatory Effectiveness of the Station Blackout Rule (NUREG-1776)" on March 13, 2011, two days after the Fuku-I accident started on March 11. It affirms the effectiveness of the NRC regulation concerning the station blackout. I'm sure it's effective until the actual station blackout hits...

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