Cause Still Unknown for #Fukushima II (Daini) Nuke Plant Pressure Rise in Reactor 1 Building

TEPCO doesn't have much to say about the rise in pressure in the Reactor 1 building at Fukushima II (Daini) Nuclear Power Plant after the M7.3 earthquake on December 7, 2012.

Yes they pumped the air out, thorough the exhaust duct, but no they don't know why the positive pressure happened. Just like anything else, they don't know the reason, but do immediate patchwork so that the undesirable conditions go away, for a short while at least.

Hardly anyone pays attention to Fukushima I or II Nuke Plants or the workers there any more, anyway. People are having a good time electioneering, and many net citizens are feeling righteous about cheering for the candidates and the parties who profess anti-nuclear (beyond nuclear, graduating from nuclear, whatever) sentiment.

Here's from the English press release from the incurious TEPCO on 12/8/2012 about Fukushima II (Daini):

At around 5:18 PM on December 7, a M7.3 earthquake occurred at the offshore of Sanriku. Upon plant checkup, no problem originating from the earthquake was found.

Since the pressure in Unit 1 Reactor Building had turned positive (though the pressure is kept negative to the outdoor air), the standby gas treatment system* was started upon judgment of an operator. The pressure in the Reactor Building increased to 0.05kPa right after the system was started and later the pressure turned back to negative and became stable. In order to investigate the cause of the pressure turning to positive, the standby gas treatment system was suspended and the Reactor Building ventilation air conditioning system was started on December 8. The pressure in the Reactor Building is being maintained in negative after switching the system. The cause of the incident will continue to be investigated.

* Standby gas treatment system: System that purifies the air in the Reactor Building utilizing high performance filter and discharge it to the outside through the exhaust stack. The system is comprised of systems (A) and (B).

By the way, remember the fluctuation of the water being injected into the Reactor Pressure Vessels at Fukushima I (Daiichi) Nuke Plant, back in August? The fluctuation was supposed to be due to the shaving debris from pipe installation clogging the mesh screens placed at the valves, and after cleaning the debris in the tank and flushing the pipes all were supposed to be OK. But no, the water continues to fluctuate to this day, and all TEPCO does is to adjust the water amount.

Curiosity may kill the cat, but I hope TEPCO's incuriosity will not kill us.

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Slight Rise in Pressure in #Fukushima II (Daini) Nuke Plant Reactor 1 Bldg After Dec 7 M7.3 Quake

Update on the Magnitude 7.3 outer-rise earthquake on December 7 off Miyagi Prefecture. (Yesterday's report is here.)

It looks something may have happened at Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant. According to TEPCO, there was a small rise in pressure in the reactor building, which is to be kept at a negative pressure to prevent radioactive contamination from spreading into the environment.

Jiji Tsushin (12/7/2012):

福島第１「異常なし」＝第２建屋内、圧力上昇も－東電

TEPCO: Fukushima I Nuke Plant "No abnormality", Fukushima II [reactor] building pressure rise

　東京電力は７日の地震後、福島第１、第２原発とも新たな異常はないと発表した。観測された揺れは小さく、原子炉への注水や使用済み燃料プールの冷却に影響はなかったという。

TEPCO announced that there was no new abnormality in Fukushima I and II Nuclear Power Plants. The quake measured on site was small, and it didn't affect the water injection into the reactors or the cooling of the spent fuel pools.

　ただ第２原発１号機では、原子炉建屋内の圧力が若干上昇。午後５時２０分すぎ、作業員が手動で空気を排出し、圧力を下げる作業を行った。

However, in Fukushima II (Daini) Nuke Plant, the pressure inside the Reactor 1 building rose a little. At 5:20PM, workers lowered the pressure by manually operating [the system that] pumps out the air.

　尾野昌之原子力・立地本部長代理は原因について、現時点では分からないとしつつ、「あまり深刻なものではない」と説明した。外部への放射性物質漏えいは確認されていないという。

TEPCO's manager Masayuki Ono explained "It's not very serious", even though he acknowledged the company did not know the cause of the pressure rise. According to TEPCO, there is no leak of radioactive materials in the environment.

Ah the famous last word, "No leak of radioactive materials in the environment".

There were 11 people injured in the M7.3 earthquake. There was a M6.2 earthquake 13 minutes after the M7.3 earthquake, but the Japanese tweets say there was no media report on that one, other than in the data pages of Japan Meteorological Agency and other meteorological news sites. Many people say they did indeed felt two shakes.

Right now, some people are trying to figure out what the hell is "autaah raizu" earthquake (and remember, "r" and "l" are indistinguishable to the Japanese) - a transliteration of "outer-rise" earthquake".

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#Fukushima II (Daini)'s Monitoring Posts Were Heavily Damaged in March 11 Tsunami, TEPCO's Photos Show

I don't remember seeing any news about it last year, but then I didn't pay much attention to Fukushima II (Daini).

TEPCO released a series of photographs showing the repair and improvement on Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant. In it, there are photographs of Monitoring Posts 6 and 7, right after the earthquake/tsunami on March 11, 2011 and after they were rebuilt.

Rebuilt? Yes, they were heavily damaged in the tsunami. MP7 was completely wiped out, as you see in the photo below from TEPCO's Photos and Videos Library 8/3/2012:

MP7 before the earthquake/tsunami (3/17/2004):

MP7 after the earthquake/tsunami (4/24/2011):

Temporary MP7 (8/26/2011):

MP7 newly built (7/24/2012):

So, where is MP7 located? From TEPCO's page on radiation monitoring for Fuku-II:

Comparing this with Google Map, that's about 200 to 300 meters from the river mouth.

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#Fukushima II (Daini) Nuke Plant Media Tour on July 4, 2012

From IWJ, delayed live netcast is about to start (3PM July 4, 2012 Japan Standard Time):

Live Video app for Facebook by Ustream

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(UPDATED) Shukan Asahi: #Fukushima II (Daini) Extensive Damage from March 11, 2011 Earthquake and Tsunami

Shukan Asahi, one of the major weekly magazines in Japan by one of Japan's mainstream media (Asahi), has a scoop on Fukushima II (Daini) Nuclear Power Plant. I have no reason to believe this is true, but I also have no reason not to believe this is true. According to the person who used to work at Fuku II, it is more likely to be true.

According to the reporter, Fukushima II has sustained extensive damage from the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and that hasn't been properly disclosed by any party (TEPCO or the government). He also says TEPCO knows there is no way the plant can be restarted anytime soon, if at all.

The reporter, Shun Kirishima (probably a pseudonym), works at Fukushima II and filed this report, according to Shukan Asahi. The article has several photographs, but the quality is rather bad.

Information from Shukan Asahi May 9, 2012 issue (the images of the article are posted at the end of the post):

1. Reactor 1 building still has no electricity restored after more than 1 year since the March 11, 2011 disaster. Aluminum window frames bend inward. (Photo 1)

2. Reactor 1 building basement is all rusted - pipes, light shades, equipment. Sands on the floor, mud caked on the cables on the ceiling (3-meter high).

3. The industry insiders had told the reporter earlier that TEPCO had informed them right after the March 11, 2011 disaster that Fukushima II wouldn't be operational for 5 years. It is a wishful thinking on TEPCO's headquarters' part that Fukushima II is anywhere near operational. It isn't, and it is damaged badly.

4. The office building is badly damaged, with ceiling collapsed and walls fallen down. (Photo 4)

5. Even though Fukushima II achieved cold shutdown 4 days after the earthquake/tsunami, it was a very close call. Some of the pumps for the heat exchanger didn't work, and some of the emergency diesel generators in Reactors 1 through 4 didn't work after the tsunami. In Reactor 1 building, 2 out of 3 diesel generators couldn't be used because they were damaged by the tsunami, even though they were in the reactor building above the 1st floor. (Photo 6)

6. Reactor 3 turbine building basement was flooded with water, even though TEPCO announced in March this year that there was no damage in the turbine building basements of Reactors 3 and 4. The reporter claims there is a handwritten note in the 2nd basement floor of Reactor 3 that says "2011.3.11 (inundated with water) 430 centimeters from the floor surface" - i.e. 4.3 meters of water in the basement (Photo 7). In the report in August last year, TEPCO says the water was from the skimmer surge tank overflow, but the reporter says it is hard to believe, because the 2nd floor of the basement was not just flooded but completely filled with water.

7. TEPCO says the damage at Fukushima II is due to the tsunami. But the pipes in the heat exchanger building on the 2nd floor, which was not flooded with the tsunami, show extensive damage, and they are being repaired or replaced. (Photos 9 and 10)

The Shukan Asahi article:

(UPDATE) Just as I posted, I also found TEPCO's newly released photographs (5/9/2012) of Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant. Everything looks great as far as these photographs show. There are photographs of Reactor 1's diesel generators.

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(UPDATED) INES Level 1 Contamination at Fukushima II (Daini), Caused by the Spill of Contaminated Water from Fukushima I (Daiichi), Says NISA

UPDATE: These are the 20-liter plastic containers that transported the contaminated water from Fuku-I to Fuku-II. They are wrapped in plastic. That's spill-proof, isn't it? TEPCO claims the lid in one of the containers was loose. From METI's press release on 3/27/2012:

=======================================
TEPCO transported 140 liters of the water after being treated by the cesium absorption towers (SARRY, Kurion) from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant to Fukushima II (Daini) Nuclear Power Plant for nuclide analysis, but somehow the water spilled and contaminated the buildings in Fukushima II.

Duh. Why TEPCO needed to transport a large quantity of contaminated water just for analysis, no one knows. The water contained maximum 700 becquerels/cubic centimeter of radioactive materials, so the 140 liters of this water could contain 700 x 1000 x 140 = 98 million becquerels of radioactive materials.

First, the overview of the incident from Jiji Tsushin (3/27/2012):

分析用汚染水漏れる＝運搬先の福島第２原発で－東電

Contaminated water from Fukushima I for analysis spilled at Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant, says TEPCO

　東京電力は２７日、福島第１原発から分析のため福島第２原発に運び込んだストロンチウムなどを含む汚染水が容器から漏れ、机や通路などを汚染したと発表した。経済産業省原子力安全・保安院は、汚染水の取扱規定に違反している可能性が高いとして、運搬状況を報告するよう指示した。

TEPCO announced on March 27 that the contaminated water spilled from the container and contaminated desks and corridors at Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant. The water contained radioactive strontium and other nuclides, and was brought from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant to Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant for analysis. The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry has instructed TEPCO to report the details, as the company is likely to have been in violation of the regulation that specifies how the contaminated water should be handled.

　東電と保安院によると、汚染が見つかったのは第２原発３、４号機サービス建屋の机と通路など７カ所。水が付着した場所からは最高で１平方センチ当たり約７００ベクレルの放射性物質が検出された。作業員の被ばくはないという。

According to TEPCO and the NISA, contamination was found at 7 locations in the service building for Reactors 3 and 4 at Fukushima II Nuke Plant, on the desks and corridors. Maximum 700 becquerels per cubic centimeter of radioactive materials have been found from the locations of the spill. There is no worker exposed to the contamination.

"140 liters" information comes from the ad hoc NISA press conference on March 27 at 9:15PM (that's unusual these days).

More detailed information from the press conference, by Ryuichi Kino:

東電の発表では、汚染は２０６Bq/cm2 [sic] という話だったが、保安院の発表では、最高７００Ｂｑ／ｃｍ３と聞いているとのこと。ただ、運んでいた量が全部で１４０Ｌ。なんでこんなに多量の汚染水を運んでいたのかは、今のところ不明。保安院によれば今回の漏洩量は少ないが場合によっては汚染された水のすべてが漏洩した可能性があり、その場合に想定される放射性物質の量などからすると、国際原子力事象評価尺度（ＩＮＥＳ）の対象になり、暫定でＩＮＥＳレベル１と判断しているとのこと。

TEPCO announced the contamination as 206 Bq/cubic centimeter, but NISA says max 700 Bq/cubic centimeter. Total amount of the water was 140 liters. It's not known why such a large quantity of contaminated water was being transported. According to NISA, the amount of leak this time was small, but depending on the situation the entire amount could have leaked. If that was the case, INES (International Nuclear Event Scale) should be applied to the incident because of the amount of radioactive materials that would have been released; consequently, NISA considers the incident as INES Level 1, on a provisional basis.

もうひとつ疑問。東電は夕方６時からの会見で、この経緯をごく簡単に説明。汚染は１か所だけと発表していた。けれども保安院の発表では、汚染は全部で７か所と。事態の発生は午後０時４２分とのことなので、それから５時間後の会見で詳細が発表されなかったのは、対応が遅すぎ。

Another question. TEPCO touched on this spill very lightly at the 6PM press conference, and said there was only one contamination. But NISA says there were 7 locations that were contaminated. The spill happened at 12:42PM, and TEPCO didn't have the details at the press conference, 5 hours after. Too slow.

Kino also reports this was the second time TEPCO transported a large quantity of contaminated water from Fukushima I to Fukushima II.

(Additional information)

Kino also says that the contaminated water is routinely sampled by the affiliate companies (probably Toshiba, Hitachi, and other top-tier contractors) for testing at their facilities.

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Worker Fell Ill at Fukushima II (Daini) Nuke Plant

From TEPCO's press release (English, as reference) on March 7, 2012:

Call for Doctor Helicopter due to occurrence of injured person

At around 1:55 pm on March 7, at the first basement of Heat Exchanger Building* of Unit 1 (non-controlled area) a partner companies' worker found another worker who was engaged in repair work of insulation material of piping was lying. After that, at 2:36 pm on the same day, we requested the helicopter emergency medical service (called "Doctor Heli"). The worker retained consciousness and suffered no external injury. In addition, we confirmed no radioactive materials were adhered to the worker's body.

By "lying", TEPCO means "collapsed" (in case you're wondering).

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Just In: Voltage Dropped in Wide Area in Fukushima, Some Systems at Fukushima I and II Nuke Plants Stopped

(UPDATE: The systems are getting back online.)

====================================

It happened around 4:10PM on January 17, 2012.

The systems that are working at Fukushima I:

• Cooling systems for Reactors 1, 2 and 3

• SARRY (cesium absorption system by Toshiba)

• Monitoring posts

What's not working at Fukushima I:

• Spent fuel pool cooling systems for Reactors 2, 3, 6

• Gas management system for Reactor 2

• Kurion

• Nitrogen injection system (since restarted)
  

Press conference is ongoing (it started at 6PM on January 17), but TEPCO's Matsumoto is showing a video of Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant's emergency response training. (WTF?)

Now Q&A:

TEPCO's switching station in Minami Iwaki had a problem that caused the voltage to drop momentarily. They turned the switch off for a few milliseconds to clear the system.

TEPCO doesn't know what caused the problem at the switching station.

The systems are getting back online. Kurion is still stopped. None of the systems needs to be continuously operated.

(There is absolutely no urgency in either question or answer, so I think everything is dandy now. I'm signing off.)

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Just In: Japanese Expert Says Fukushima II (not I) Nuke Plant's Containment Vessel Has Been Damaged by the Quake

Information from Iwakami Yasumi's USTREAM channel netcasting the workshop of an Osaka citizens' group "Kansai network to stop the disaster-debris acceptance" with a panel of experts including European experts.

One Japanese expert, Hiromitsu Ino, said a Containment Vessel at Fukushima II (Daini) is broken, and they are trying to repair it. It was probably caused by the earthquake, not tsunami.

The workshop is on-going at this link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/iwj-osaka1#utm_campaign=t.co&utm_source=8481429&utm_medium=social

Hiromitsu Ino is professor emeritus at Tokyo University. His area of specialty is metallic materials science. He is the head of the Group of Concerned Scientists and Engineers Calling for the Closure of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant.

I still remember a tweet last summer (I think) saying an acquaintance fleeing from the area near Fukushima II Nuke Plant right after the earthquake saw a smoke coming out of one of the reactor buildings (there are 4). Fukushima II, unlike Fukushima I, has 4 Mark-II type boiling water reactors built by Toshiba and Hitachi.

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North Anna Nuke Plant: Quake May Have Exceeded Nuclear Plant's Safety Specs

But don't worry, says NRC, the plant is "less safe", not more dangerous.

From NBC News Washington (8/29/2011):

Despite being built to sustain more than the maximum expected shaking, last week’s earthquake may have exceeded the design parameters of the two nuclear reactors knocked offline.

That conclusion by Dominion Virginia Power and an independent government analysis prompted the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to send inspectors to the nuclear plant in Virginia.

The Dominion-operated North Anna Power Station 12 miles from the epicenter of the 5.8-magnitude quake in Louisa County temporarily lost power, but there was no significant damage to safety systems, according to the NRC. A low-level emergency was declared temporarily Tuesday after the incident.

The additional inspection should not be interpreted to mean the plant is less safe, the commission said Monday.

Nuclear power plants are built with margins of safety beyond the maximum expected shaking, and the damage detected so far at North Anna has been minimal.

(The article continues.)

In the meantime, Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency now says there are 14 newly identified active faults near the nuclear facilities in Fukushima and Ibaraki Prefectures: 5 of them around TEPCO's Fukushima I and II Nuclear Power Plants, and 9 around the Tokai II Nuclear Power Plant operated by Japan Atomic Power Company and Tokai Fuel Reprocessing Facility operated by Japan Atomic Energy Agency. (From Kyodo News Japanese, 8/30/2011)

Don't worry, says NISA, they are all minor faults incapable of producing major earthquakes.

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Workers Entered Fukushima II (Daini) Reactor 4

While the attention is on Fukushima I, TEPCO has been quietly working on Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant located in Naraha-machi and Tomioka-machi.

On August 29, workers entered the Containment Vessel of Reactor 4 at Fukushima II for the first time since March 11. No details of the work inside the Containment Vessel have been released by TEPCO yet.

From NHK News (8/29/2011):

東京電力福島第一原子力発電所とともに事故を起こした、福島第二原発では、２９日午前中から、４号機の原子炉を覆う格納容器の中に作業員が入り、内部が破損しているかや、放射線の量を調べています。

Workers entered the Containment Vessel of Reactor 4 at Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant to check the damages if any and measure radiation levels.

福島第一原発と第二原発で、事故のあと、格納容器に人が入るのは初めてです。

It is the first time after the accident that anyone entered the Containment Vessel of any reactor at either Fukushima I or Fukushima II.

福島第二原発は、３月１１日の地震で４つの原子炉がすべて自動停止したあと、４号機を含む３つの原子炉では、海水を使って原子炉を冷やす設備の一部が津波によって壊れ、十分に冷やすことができなくなりました。

At Fukushima II, after the automatic shutdown of all 4 reactors after the March 11 earthquake, part of the cooling systems that use seawater to cool the reactors was broken by the tsunami in three of the reactors including Reactor 4, and the reactors were not cooled sufficiently.

このうち、４号機の原子炉は、外部電源を使った冷却によって、地震の４日後に１００度以下の冷温停止状態となり、東京電力はその後も原子炉の状態が安定しているとして、２９日午前１０時すぎから、およそ１０人の作業員が原子炉を覆う格納容器の中に入り、内部の調査をしています。

Reactor 4 was brought to a cold shutdown 4 days after the quake using the cooling system with external power supply. TEPCO determined that the condition of the reactor was stable, and sent about 10 workers inside the Containment Vessel to conduct the survey of the inside.

福島第二原発の４号機は、原子炉の圧力が一時高くなるなどしており、東京電力は設備が壊れているかを調べるとともに、内部の放射線量や温度などを測定するということです。

The reactor pressure rose temporarily in Reactor 4 after the quake. TEPCO is going to check for damages as well as measure the radiation levels and temperature inside.

福島第一原発と第二原発で、事故のあと、格納容器に人が入るのは初めてで、東京電力は、２９日の調査で得られた結果を基に、今後内部で作業をするために必要な装備などを検討していくということです。

It is the first time since the accident that anyone entered the Containment Vessel in Fukushima I or Fukushima II. TEPCO says it will decide on the necessary work to be done inside the Containment Vessel, once it gets the result of the survey on August 29.

TEPCO is not just working on the Containment Vessel at Fukushima II by the way. It's been working on the heat exchanger for Reactor 4 also, as evidenced by TEPCO's announcement that one worker from a TEPCO affiliate company fell ill due to excess heat in the heat exchanger building while he was re-routing the temporary cable.

What is TEPCO up to? Restart Fukushima II? That's what the mayor of Naraha-machi wants TEPCO to do.

I also wonder whatever happened to the 3000 tonnes of contaminated water in the basement of the plant.

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More on Fukushima II (Daini): Loss of Function to Remove Residual Heat for Up to 2 Days and 23 Hours, March 11 to 14

I hardly paid any attention to Fukushima II (Daini) Nuclear Power Plant in the early days of the crisis, but I got curious reading the comment from the reader "Joe Neubarth" to the post on the eyewitness account of Fukushima II on the day of the earthquake:

"Core Damage comes from a loss of cooling. I know of no report of loss of cooling at that facility. Did they go dark when the one electrical transmission tower fell north of Fukushima during the earthquake? Did they then have a delay if the startup of Emergency Diesel Generators? If there was a delay or if they lost the EDG's totally THEN there might be a melt down, BUT I have not heard of this happening."

I didn't know either (or I totally forgot). Did they or didn't they? So I went to TEPCO's site and see what they say.

Fukushima II Nuke Plant has 4 reactors. When the earthquake hit on March 11, control rods were successfully inserted in all 4 reactors at 2:48PM. Then the tsunami hit, and at 6:33PM on March 11:

Occurrence of a Specific Incident Stipulated in Article 10 of the Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness (loss of function to remove residual heat)

This happened on Reactors 1, 2, and 4, at the same time.

Then, the Residual Heat Removal System re-started one by one, on March 14:

Reactor 1: 1:24AM, March 14
Reactor 2: 7:13AM, March 14
Reactor 4: 3:42PM, March 14

So, the reactors weren't cooled for as long as 69 hours in case of Reactor 4, and 55 hours in case of Reactor 1.　Is 55 hours long enough for the coolant (water) inside the Reactor Pressure Vessel to evaporate and for at least part of the fuel rods to be exposed and get damaged?

For all 4 reactors, the Reactor Coolant Filtering System came online between June 4 and July 17.

TEPCO also says the Suppression Chambers of Reactors 1, 2 and 4 suffered some event that caused the "loss of function to suppress pressure" in the morning of March 12. The function was restored on March 14 morning.

The above information is from TEPCO's status report on Fukushima II (Daini) Nuclear Power Plant as of August 21 (click to enlarge, or go to the link):

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#Fukushima II (Not I) Nuke Plant Eyewitness Account on March 11

White smoke seen rising from Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant in Tomioka-machi after the quake but BEFORE the tsunami.

It was related by people (husband and wife) who were in Kawauchi-mura, west of Tomioka-machi, quoting the unnamed acquaintance of theirs who works at the plant. They said they couldn't name the person as he is higher up in the organization.

The couple was speaking in an event organized by an independent journalist Yasumi Iwakami.

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Mayor of Naraha-Machi Wants Fukushima II Back Online

Now that Fukushima I Nuke Plant went bust, Fukushima II is all we've got, says Mayor Takashi Kusano of Naraha-machi, Fukushima Prefecture where Fukushima II Nuke Plant is located. He says "We'd better get the best use of it."

Naraha-machi is located in Futaba-gun ("gun" is a bigger region), which has both Fukushima I and Fukushima II.

A brief interview with the mayor that appeared on News Post Seven (7/24/2011):

人口約7700人の福島県双葉郡楢葉町は福島第一原発の南側に位置し、周辺20km内の「警戒区域」にあたる。町内には、原発事故への対応拠点であるJヴィレッジや現在運転停止中の福島第二原発が立地する。町民たちは、県内のいわき市や大沼郡会津美里町での避難生活を余儀なくされている。だが、遠く離れたところから、口先で「脱原発」を叫ぶのは容易い。草野孝・町長（76歳）が切実な事情を語る。

Naraha-machi in Futaba-gun in Fukushima Prefecture, population 7,700, is located south of Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant and within the 20-kilometer no-entry zone. J-Village, the staging area for the power plant work, and Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant are located in town. The town's residents have been living in shelters in Iwaki City and Aizu Misato-machi in Onuma-gun. Mayor of the town is Takashi Kusano (aged 76), who thinks it is easy for people who are far away from a nuclear power plant to call for "no nukes".

　＊　＊　＊
――都心などでは「脱原発」「反原発」を掲げるデモ行進も多い。

--In places like Tokyo, there are many demonstrations for "beyond nuke" and "no nuke".

「遠くにいて“脱原発”なんて言っている人、おかしいと思う。我々は必死に原発と共生して、もちろん我々もその恩恵でいい暮らしをした。だが同時に、東京の人たちに電気を送ってきたわけだ。何十年先の新しいエネルギーの話と、目の前の話は違う。あるものは早く動かして、不足のないように東京に送ればいい。我々地域の感情としてはそうなる」

"I don't understand anyone who says "beyond nuke" from a distance. We have tried our best to co-exist with the nuke plant, and yes of course we have benefited from it and have had a good life. At the same time, we've been sending electricity to people in Tokyo. New [alternative, renewable?] energy several decades in the future doesn't serve the need of today. What we have now [Fukushima II] we should operate, and send electricity to Tokyo. That's how we feel about it."

――とはいえ、第一原発であれだけの事故が起きた。第二原発についても不安は覚える。

--However, Fukushima I Nuke Plant caused such a big accident. People are fearful of Fukushima II also.

「もちろん、津波防御のための工事やチェックは必要だ。国がしっかりと第一原発の教訓を生かしていくべきところ。第二原発は崖と崖の間に位置していて、真っ平らなところにある第一原発とは地理条件が違う。今回の津波の被害も第一より軽微だった。

"Of course it is necessary to guard against tsunami. The national government should apply the lessons learned from Fukushima I. But Fukushima II is located between the cliffs, geographically different from Fukushima I which is on the flat land. Fukushima II wasn't affected by tsunami as much as Fukushima I.

　そうした違いがあるのに、“脱原発”ばかり。結局“復興”が二の次になってはいないか。双葉郡には、もう第二しかないんだ……。

So Fukushima II is different, but all we hear is "beyond nuke". "Recovery" comes the second. All that's left for Futaba-gun [his town is located within Futaba-gun] is Fukushima II.

　正確に放射線量を測り、住民が帰れるところから復興しないと、双葉郡はつぶれてしまう。第二が動けば、5000人からの雇用が出てくる。そうすれば、大熊町（第一原発の1～4号機が立地）の支援だってできる。

Futaba-gun will cease to exist unless the radiation level is accurately measured and the residents return where it's possible. If Fukushima II becomes operational again, that will create 5,000 jobs. Then we will be able to help out Okuma-machi (where Reactors 1-4 of Fukushima I Nuke Plant are located).

　それなのに、国も県も、何の情報も出さないし、相談もしてこない。新聞やテレビのニュースで初めて知ることばかり。町民の不満は限界に近づいている。言ってやりたいよ。“ばが（馬鹿）にすんのもいい加減にしろ”――と」

"But both the national government and Fukushima prefectural government don't give us information, they don't consult us. We learn things from newspapers and TV news. Frustration of the town's folks is reaching the limit. I wish I could say to the governments, "Stop taking us for fools!""

■聞き手／ジャーナリスト・小泉深

Interviewer: Shin Koizumi, journalist

I wonder if the mayor knows radioactive fallout from Fukushima I Nuke Plant has gone very far and affecting those people in the distance. I doubt it. But even if he does know, he would say that's just the price to pay for having received electricity from the nuke plant.

I also wonder if he thinks of other cities and towns within Fukushima Prefecture which may have even higher radiation level than his hometown thanks to Fukushima I Nuke Plant. They didn't have any say when Naraha-machi (Fukushima II) and Okuma-machi/Futaba-machi (Fukushima I) invited the TEPCO's nuke plants. Not that he should, but it would be nice if he at least thinks of his fellow Fukushima residents, while scoffing at people making the anti-nuke noise from a distance.

By the way, this same mayor wanted to invite Japan's first final processing plant for highly radioactive waste products from the Rokkasho reprocessing plant, back in 2009. Asahi Shinbun reported on March 15 in 2009 about the mayor's plan (no link to the original article at Asahi any more, but the full article has been copied at this site).

According to the article, just for applying as a candidate, the town would get 1 billion yen (US$12 million). If it is selected as the location for the final processing plant, total 160 billion yen (US$2 billion) in tax revenue and 1.7 trillion yen (US$22 billion) economic effects would be expected.

The town's revenue for 2007 was 6.1 billion yen (US$77 million), thanks to special tax revenue from Fukushima II Nuke Plant. Very rich for a town of 7,700 people.

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#Fukushima II's Contaminated Water: Cobalt-60, Cesium-134, Cesium-137

More on the earlier post on 3,000 tons of contaminated water at Fukushima II Nuke Plant.

From Yomiuri Shinbun (1:28PM JST 6/8/2011):

東京電力は８日、福島第二原子力発電所の原子炉建屋などの地下階にたまった低濃度汚染水約３０００トンについて、浄化処理をした後、海へ放出する方針で、関係省庁や地元自治体と相談を始めたことを明らかにした。

TEPCO disclosed on June 8 that it has entered into negotiations with the government agencies and local municipalities to treat the contaminated water in the basements of the buildings at Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant and release it into the ocean.　

同原発では、津波で流れ込んだ海水に、配管類のさびなどから出たとみられる放射性物質のコバルト６０や、約１０キロ北 の福島第一原発から飛来したと考えられるセシウム１３７、１３４などが混ざった汚染水がたまっている。汚染濃度は、海への放出が認められている濃度限界の １０～３０倍程度。

The water is from the tsunami [on March 11], and it contains radioactive cobalt-60 which probably came from the rusty pipes, and cesium-137 and cesium-134 which are considered to have flown from Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant 10 kilometers north. The level of contamination is 10 to 30 times the limit allowed for the discharge into the ocean.

Mainichi Shinbun Japanese reports the level of radioactive materials is "normal" for a nuclear plant during the normal operation.

Hmmm. So, in a normal operation, radioactive cesium will fly from a nearby nuke plant and somehow land on the basement of the enclosed reactor building. Right.

TEPCO's press release on the subject is not up yet.

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#Fukushima II (Not I) Nuke Plant Wants to Dump 3,000 Tons of Water into the Ocean

Did you even know that there was water in the basement of Fukushima II ("Daini")? And that water needs to be treated to remove the radioactive materials?

TEPCO fears that the power supply equipments in the basements may degrade from the salt water from tsunami, but if they have been sitting in the salt water for nearly 3 months, they are practically worthless, I would assume.

Again, a brilliant design by GE, having the power supply in the basement in a nuclear power plant right by the ocean in an earthquake/tsunami-prone country.

From Japan's TBS News (10:58PM JST 6/7/2011; the link will probably be changed or disappear soon, as is often the case with the TV broadcasters):

東京電力が、福島第二原発の原子炉建屋などに溜まっているおよそ３０００トンの水について、海に放出する計画を立てていることが分かりました。ただ、海産物への影響を懸念する農林水産省が猛反発していて、調整は難航しています。

It has been revealed that TEPCO wants to release about 3,000 tons of water in the reactor buildings [and turbine buildings, according to the news clip at the site] of Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant. However, fearing the negative effect on marine products, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is strongly against the plan, making the negotiations between TEPCO and the Ministry difficult.

　福島第二原発の原子炉は現在、冷温停止中ですが、震災で津波を被り大量の海水が原子炉建屋やタービン建屋などに溜まったままとなっています。このため東京電力は、大量の水を海に放出する計画を立て、政府関係者とすでに協議していることが分かりました。

The reactors at Fukushima II Nuke Plant are in "cold shutdown". But the tsunami after the March 11 earthquake inundated the reactor buildings and the turbine buildings. TEPCO planned the release of this large amount of water into the ocean, and has been negotiating with the government officials.

　塩分を含んだ水の量はおよそ３０００トンに達すると見られ、溜まっている期間も長引いているため、このままでは建屋の地下にある電源装置が劣化する恐れもあります。

This salt water is estimated to be about 3,000 tons. Since it has been sitting in the basements for long time now, the power supply equipments in the basements may degrade

　この水について東京電力は、法律で認められているより低いレベルにまで放射能の除染を済ませた上で海に放出すると説明していますが、海産物への影響を懸念する農林水産省が猛反発し、調整が難航しています。（07日22:58）

TEPCO says it will remove the radioactive materials in the water to the level lower than allowed by law before releasing it into the ocean. But the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is strongly against the plan, fearing the effect on the marine products.

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