Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for June 12th – June 14th, 2012
Here’s the latest of our news bulletins from the ongoing crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Efforts to Restart Oi Reactors
The Mayor of Oi, Shinobu Tokioka, has announced his approval for restarting reactors #3 and #4 at Kansai Electric’s Oi Power Plant in Fukui Prefecture. Issei Nishikawa, Governor of Fukui, is expected to follow suit today. That decision will leave the final restart authority in the hands of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who plans to meet with Yukio Edano, the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI); Goshi Hosono, Nuclear Crisis Minister; and Chief Cabinet Secretary Osamu Fujimura on Saturday, before Noda leaves the country on Sunday. Kansai Electric officials said that even if reactors #3 and #4 are restarted on Saturday, the will not achieve full power until July 27 at the earliest.
In an effort to quell widespread public anti-nuclear sentiment and concerns about the safety of restarting the Oi reactors, Japan will station two high-ranking officials, Deputy Trade Minister Seishu Makino and nuclear regulator Shinichi Kuroki, within 7 km of the Oi plant. Officials from the Environment Ministry have jokingly referred to the two as “hostages.”
State of Nuclear Politics in Japan
A study by the Japanese Nuclear Safety Commission of 20 offsite Emergency Response Centers located near nuclear plants shows that all are located between 2 and 13 km from nuclear reactors, and only two contain radiation filtration systems, placing them at risk of being unusable in case of a nuclear disaster. Many are located close to the sea and at low elevations, increasing the risk of damage by tsunamis. In addition, a new survey conducted by Kyodo News reveals that nine of 17 emergency response centers are not earthquake proof. The Oi Emergency Response Center, where Prime Minister Noda is pushing to restart two nuclear reactors, is not earthquake proof, is located only 7 km from the reactors, and is less than 12 meters from the sea. In a nuclear emergency, the chances of it being rendered unusable are significant.
Members of both ruling and opposition parties in the Diet have agreed to establish an independent five-member Nuclear Regulatory Commission by September. The new entity will replace the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), which was highly criticized for conflict of interest while operating under METI, which is tasked with promoting nuclear power. As part of the new bill, a nuclear disaster preparedness council, including all cabinet ministers, will operate under the direction of the Prime Minister.
In addition, the Diet voted to limit operation of nuclear reactors in Japan, but left the age at which they need to retire open ended for the time being. Prime Minister Noda had pushed for the limit to be set at 40 years, with the option for extending that limit to 60 years. The bill will allow the proposed Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make the final determination. The 40-year age limit of reactors has been highly controversial, as many raise concerns about the safety of aging reactors.
A new report from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) reveals that continued testing of the Monju fast-breeder reactor over the next decade—be required in order to put it into practical use–will cost Japanese taxpayers an additional 300 billion yen ($3.8 billion). Alternately, if the government chooses to end development on the reactors and simply maintain it, costs will only be between six and eight billion yen. The Monju fast-breeder reactor was long considered the linchpin of the Japanese nuclear cycle, hypothetically allowing spent fuel to be recycled into so called MOX (mixed oxide) fuel. However, the reactor has been plagued with technical problems and cost overruns for years.
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