Weekend Fun and Farce -2: Minister of Economy Says "More Space for Tanks if Reactors 5 and 6 Are Decommissioned" at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant

Minister Motegi, ex-McKinsey management consultant whose most recent utterance about Fukushima I Nuclear Plant was that the contaminated water problems are not because of lack of money or faulty engineering but because of TEPCO and the plant workers not working hard enough, seems to think decommissioning a nuclear reactor is just like dismantling a factory line.

According to the Yomiuri article below, Minister Toshimitsu Motegi seems very confident that decommissioning of Reactors 5 and 6 will be finished way before the end of fiscal 2014 (March 31, 2015) with reactors, equipments, and buildings all removed, and the space can be used to install more tanks to store contaminated water until that water is completely treated by the end of fiscal 2014.

This is the minister in charge of the national government being "at the forefront" of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident.

And he screams, as always, "Accelerate! Ahead of schedule!"

From Yomiuri Shinbun (9/20/2013):

５・６号機廃炉ならタンク増設できる…経産相

If Reactors 5 and 6 are decommissioned, more tanks can be installed, says Minister of Economy

茂木経済産業相は２０日の閣議後記者会見で、東京電力福島第一原子力発電所５、６号機の廃炉を安倍首相が要請したことについて「５、６号機は（廃炉が決まっている）１～４号機と極めて似た構造を持っている。５、６号機の実機を使えば訓練もできる」と述べ、１～４号機の廃炉などの事故処理を加速できるとの認識を示した。

During the press conference on September 20 after the cabinet meeting, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Motegi commented on Prime Minister Abe's request [to TEPCO] to decommission Reactors 5 and 6 at Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant. He said, "Reactors 5 and 6 have very similar structures to Reactors 1-4 (which are being decommissioned). Training can be done on the actual reactors," thus accelerating the process of decommissioning Reactors 1-4.

汚染水処理については「５、６号機の廃炉で出来る空きスペースに、汚染水のタンク増設を行うことができる」と語った。２０１４年度内に貯蔵タンク内の汚染水を浄化することに改めて意欲を示し、「前倒しできることは、全て前倒しする」と強調した。

As to the contaminated water treatment, he said, "In the empty space created by decommissioning Reactors 5 and 6, we can build additional tanks to store contaminated water." He expressed his desire again to have all contaminated water stored in the tanks treated by the end of fiscal 2014, and emphasized he would "do anything ahead of schedule that can be done ahead of schedule".

"Happy", one of several workers who have been tweeting from the plant since the beginning of the accident, gently reminds his followers that:

• Spent fuel assemblies in the Spent Fuel Pools of Reactors 5 and 6 should be removed first, and that won't happen until July 2014 at the earliest (tweet);

• After spent fuel assemblies are removed, dismantling will start with equipments and pipes with low contamination. It will be at least 10 years before we start dismantling the reactors themselves. (tweet)

• In dismantling a reactor, pipes and equipments in the primary line will be chemically cleaned and decontaminated, but dismantling doesn't happen at least until 5 years pass. (tweet)

• It's because Cobalt-60, major source of radiation for pipes and equipment, has the half life of about 5 years. (tweet)

• Even the decommissioning of small-scale or experimental reactors like the one in Tokai-mura is problematic, with unforeseen problems. (tweet)

I would suggest Mr. Motegi or his secretary follow these workers on Twitter.

I do feel sorry for TEPCO managers who have to kowtow to politicians like Motegi.

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