TEPCO - October 2013

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TEPCO - October 2013

Tokyo Electric Power Company, Incorporated (東京電力株式会社, Tōkyō Denryoku Kabushiki-gaisha, TYO: 9501), also known as Toden (東電, Tōden) or TEPCO, is a Japanese electric utilities servicing Japan's Kantō region, Yamanashi Prefecture, and the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture.
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. TEPCO - Problems since June 2013 .

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October 01, 2013

Nuclear regulator criticized for 'red tape' job - NHK
Japan's nuclear regulator is coming under fire from intellectuals. They're being criticized for bureaucratic behavior.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority fielded comments on Monday from 6 experts who are studying the crisis in Fukushima. The discussion was a review of the NRA's first year of operation.
Shuya Nomura is a lawyer who served on a Diet panel that investigated the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Nomura criticized the NRA for its handling of the radioactive water leaks. He said NRA members should go to the plant, instead of demanding explanations from its operator's executives.
Journalist Yoichi Funabashi said drafting rules and standards isn't enough to win public trust. He described the plant as a battleground and urged regulators to take a more proactive stance in dealing with the crisis.
Others pressed for reforms at the NRA Secretariat. It's staffed mostly by personnel from the previous regulator which was under a government umbrella that promoted nuclear power.
NRA chief Shunichi Tanaka said he feels the organization has been given a mandate that's bigger than its capacity, but that members will try to improve.


TEPCO proposes rainwater drainage rules - NHK
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has compiled criteria for discharging rainwater accumulated inside the barriers around storage tanks containing radioactive water.
Until now, Tokyo Electric Power Company had no such criteria. Last month, when a tropical storm hit the area, workers measured the radioactivity of the accumulated rainwater. They moved highly radioactive water into tanks, and released low-level waters into gutters.
Under the new criteria the utility submitted to the Nuclear Regulation Authority on Monday, rainwater will be transferred to a specific tank, where workers will measure its radioactivity levels.
The utility will discharge rainwater if the level of beta-ray-emitting substances is below 10 becquerels per liter. The standard is one third the limit of strontium-90 levels at which the government allows discharging into the sea.
TEPCO also places the radioactive cesium level at one third of the government's limit.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority will study what to do with tritium levels, since it takes time to measure the substance.
The NRA asked the utility to accelerate its investigation into an accident at a storage tank that resulted in the leakage of 300 tons of radioactive water. The regulators demanded that TEPCO remove the bottom of the tank and examine its concrete foundation, to determine the cause of the accident.


Tainted rainwater overflows at Fukushima Daiichi - NHK
Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant face another challenge.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says 4 tons of radioactive rainwater has seeped into the ground after overflowing from a storage container.
The spill occurred on Tuesday when workers were pumping into the container rainwater that had collected around wastewater storage tanks. Officials of the firm say the overflow occurred because the workers transferred the water to the wrong container.
A tropical storm in September and subsequent rain led to the buildup of tainted rainwater in barriers surrounding the tanks.
The officials say the level of radioactive substances in the water just after the storm was 160 becquerels per liter. That's five times the government limit for releasing water into the ocean.
The operator is checking radioactivity levels of the overflowed water.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it found 390 becquerels per liter of beta-ray emitting substances, believed to be mostly strontium, in water inside the container.
The level is much higher than the government limit for releasing strontium-tainted water into the ocean, which is set at 30 becquerels per liter.
The level is also higher than the 160-becquerels-per-liter detected in rainwater around the wastewater storage tanks just after the storm.
TEPCO officials say they will look into why the radiation level increased.
The officials explain the overflows occurred because the rainwater was transferred into the wrong container.
They plan to investigate the pipe system layout, and other factors, to find out why there was a container mix up.

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October 02, 2013

NRA members critical of TEPCO - NHK
Japan's nuclear regulator has decided to begin its assessment of the safety of 2 reactors at one of the plants operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company.
However, in reaching the decision at a meeting on Wednesday, members of the Nuclear Regulation Authority also criticized TEPCO for its handling of the situation at the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.
TEPCO last week applied for the safety screening of 2 of the reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture. The screening is required before the idle reactors can be restarted.
At Wednesday's meeting, NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said the regulator will proceed with the safety screening at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa but indicated that it will watch over TEPCO's handling of the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Tanaka stressed that the issue of radioactive water leaks must be strictly dealt with.
NRA Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa also said TEPCO must first focus on resolving the tainted water problem and reducing risk at the Fukushima plant. He said the Fukushima plant and the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant cannot be treated as 2 different matters.
Commissioner Kayoko Nakamura said she was surprised that TEPCO made the application for the safety screening.
She said she does not think TEPCO has sufficient knowledge of radioactive materials, in apparent reference to the company's handling of the situation at the Fukushima plant. Nakamura said she doubts if the authority can tell local residents that the reactors in question at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant are safe.
TEPCO is one of 5 power companies which have applied for the screening of a total of 14 reactors. At present, all of Japan's 50 reactors have been taken offline, mostly for inspections.


Contaminated water detected in Fukushima - NHK
Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have detected highly-radioactive substances in water within a barrier surrounding contaminated water storage tanks.
The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, says it found 200,000 becquerels per liter of beta-ray emitting substances, including strontium, in the water. The safety limit is 30 becquerels per liter.
TEPCO says its workers have found water leaking from the upper part of one of the tanks within the barrier.
The utility says it is investigating whether the contaminated water has leaked into the surrounding ground. It says some of the water may have reached the ocean by way of a drainage system.
The tank is located near the Number-4 reactor.
More than 300 tons of tainted water was found to have leaked from a tank in a different area in August.


Miscommunication caused tainted water overflow - NHK
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says miscommunication with a subcontractor resulted in tainted rainwater accidentally escaping from a storage container.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says the incident occurred as workers were transferring rainwater from inside one of the barriers that have been set up around the contaminated water tanks. The rainwater was found to be radioactive.
The workers sent the water to a small tank by mistake. About 5 tons of the radioactive water overflowed and seeped into the ground.



Another leak found at Fukushima Daiichi - NHK
Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have found more highly radioactive water leaking from a storage tank. They say some of the water may have reached the ocean.
Workers at the plant found the water was leaking from the upper part of a tank near the No.4 reactor.
They measured the radiation level of the water inside a barrier that surrounds the tank. They detected 200,000 becquerels per liter of beta-ray emitting substances, including strontium. The safety limit is 30 becquerels per liter.
The water was leaking from a joint between the top and side panels. Some of the water is thought to have flowed along a walkway that overhangs the barrier before dripping to the ground.
Engineers at the plant say they don't know how much water leaked out of the tank or how much of it seeped out of the barrier.
They say some of the water may have reached the ocean which is about 200 meters away. They have blocked drains with sandbags.
Nuclear regulators have ordered the operator to collect soil from around the tank and analyze the water in the drainage system.



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October 03, 2013

Leak traced to overfilling of tank built on slope - NHK
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the latest leak of radioactive wastewater has been traced to the overfilling of a storage tank built on a slope.
Tokyo Electric Power Company officials apologized at a news conference on Thursday for the leaks that surface on an almost daily basis.
The tank is on the mountain side of the plant's No.4 reactor. The TEPCO officials said the tank was built on ground that slopes toward the ocean, and the leak occurred on the side that faces the sea.
They estimate that 430 liters of wastewater seeped outside the barrier around the tank and say some of this water may have flowed into the sea, about 200 meters away.
Workers had been careful not to fill the tank to the top. But on Wednesday, they put in too much rainwater that had pooled nearby.
Shortly after 8:00 PM on Wednesday, workers found wastewater leaking from the upper part of the tank.
They detected 200,000 becquerels per liter of beta ray-emitting radioactive substances in water pooled inside the barrier around the tank. The safety limit is 30 becquerels per liter.
In August, TEPCO officials discovered that more than 300 tons of radioactive wastewater had leaked from a storage tank in a different area of the Fukushima plant.


Fukushima govt. to measure radiation in seawater - NHK
The Fukushima prefectural government has decided to launch its own inspection of the seawater around the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company.
Its decision came on Thursday following reports of another leakage of radioactive water from a storage tank at the nuclear complex the previous night. The water is suspected to be spilling into the ocean.
Speaking in an emergency meeting of senior officials, Governor Yuhei Sato said the latest leakage occurred just after TEPCO President Naomi Hirose pledged to give highest priority to containing wastewater when he attended the prefectural assembly.
Sato said he now questions the president's honesty. The governor harshly criticized the utility's sloppy management of contaminated water accumulating in the complex.
A prefectural official in charge of atomic power said they will measure levels of radioactive substances as early as Thursday in waters near the end of the drainage through which the leaked water is suspected to have seeped into the ocean.
Other prefectural officials voiced concern that the plant operator is not doing enough to prevent contaminated water from leaking, and urged it to quickly implement measures to stop the water from seeping into the ocean.



TEPCO: Leak caused by lack of caution - NHK
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says the latest radioactive water leak from one of the facility's storage tanks resulted from lack of caution.
About 430 liters of highly radioactive wastewater leaked from the top of the tank on Wednesday. The water was found to have 200,000 becquerels of beta ray-emitting radioactive materials per liter. The government limit for releasing such water into the ocean is 30 per liter.
Officials of Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, said the leak occurred at one of the 5 tanks connected by pipes.
The tanks were built along a slope. Only the one at the highest position was equipped with a water gauge.
Workers believed that if they kept the water level in the tank at 98 percent, or 50 centimeters from the top, no water would spill, even from the lowest tank.
The workers kept pouring into the tanks contaminated rainwater that had pooled nearby. The spill occurred at the lowest tank.
TEPCO officials say their estimation was incorrect, and that the water likely drained into the sea about 200 meters away.
TEPCO faces an increasing workload as the firm must not only build more tanks but also cope with an increase in contaminated rain and groundwater and repeated leaks.

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October 04, 2013

TEPCO stops ALPS operation at Fukushima plant - NHK
Tokyo Electric Power Company says it has halted operation of a new wastewater treatment system at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The system is designed to eliminate almost all radioactive substances from wastewater.
TEPCO says an alarm sounded to indicate abnormalities in its Advanced Liquid Processing System, or ALPS, shortly before 7AM on Friday. Workers at the utility are looking into the cause of the alarm.
The utility resumed its test-runs of the new system on Friday of last week following a month-and-a-half suspension. But it had to shut down the system less than 24 hours later due to technical problems, and resumed operations last Monday.


Suga: No leaks from ALPS at Fukushima Daiichi - NHK
Japan's top government spokesman says a new wastewater treatment system is being investigated at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant following reports of abnormalities.
Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Friday morning that no abnormalities, including leaks of contaminated water, have yet been found.
Tokyo Electric Power Company halted test-runs of its Advanced Liquid Processing System, or ALPS, after an alarm sounded to indicate abnormalities earlier on Friday. The system is designed to eliminate almost all radioactive substances from wastewater.
Suga said he was told that the water treatment process was suspended after the alarm.


TEPCO urged to prevent contaminated water leaks - NHK
The Secretariat of Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority has criticized the president of Tokyo Electric Power Company for repeated errors that caused radioactive water to leak from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
NRA Secretary-General Katsuhiko Ikeda summoned TEPCO President Naomi Hirose on Friday, and demanded that the utility immediately come up with plans to prevent such problems.
Ikeda said it is regrettable that the leakage was caused by human error. He said the company's on-site management is extremely poor.
Highly radioactive water was found to be overflowing from a storage tank at the plant on Wednesday. Workers had continued to pump water into the tank located on a slope.
Ikeda added that he wants TEPCO to send personnel from other power plants to help with the work at Fukushima Daiichi.
Ikeda also asked TEPCO to show whether safety measures are in place at the Kashiwazaki-Kariya nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture.
The utility applied to the Nuclear Regulation Authority last month for the safety screening needed to restart 2 of the idle reactors at the Niigata plant.
Hirose apologized for the problems at Fukushima Daiichi, saying the company had recently changed its system for processing contaminated wastewater, and workers are not used to the new procedures. He said TEPCO will use all possible resources to deal with the problem.


Abe pledges to tackle radioactive water issue - NHK
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says his government will do all it can to deal with the massive buildup of radioactive water at the disabled Fukushima nuclear plant.
Abe on Friday met Seiichiro Murakami, a lower house member of the main governing Liberal Democratic Party who heads a LDP panel on the Fukushima nuclear accident.
Murakami said uncovering the cause of the accident and containing the problem of contaminated water are pressing matters, as Japan reconsiders its energy policy.
Abe said the radioactive water issue will be a major topic of debate in the upcoming Diet session. He said the Abe administration will do all it can to tackle the problem.



IAEA to send decontamination support team to Japan - NHK
The International Atomic Energy Agency will send a team of experts to inspect and give advice on the decontamination in and around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The international nuclear watchdog announced on Friday that 16 experts from inside and outside of the Agency will work in Japan from October 14th through 21st.
It will be the second such team to be sent to support the clean-up in Fukushima, following the team that came in October 2011.
Their mission is to verify whether decontamination work is being carried out properly and to provide Japan with recommendations.
The experts will meet officials from Japan's Environment Ministry and other organizations to share ideas.
They will visit Fukushima Prefecture between October 16th and 18th to inspect work sites.


TEPCO: System failure stopped ALPS - NHK
Tokyo Electric Power Company has resumed operation of a new wastewater treatment system at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after a half-day suspension.
The Advanced Liquid Processing System, or ALPS, automatically stopped on Friday morning after an alarm sounded to indicate abnormalities.
The system is described as a pillar to remove radioactive materials from contaminated water.
Workers found the system halted because 2 contradictory signals were sent at the same time to a tank that temporarily stores contaminated water.
One signal was to refuse to receive external water to add chemical agents. But when workers stirred the agents and water inside, water levels lowered and another signal that allows receiving water was sent.
TEPCO's officials say this malfunction can happen during test-run operations and that they will have to improve the system.
Operation was resumed in the evening, but the utility plans to stop the system for 3 days from Saturday for maintenance.
TEPCO resumed its test-runs of the ALPS on Friday of last week after a month-and-a-half suspension. But it had to shut down the system less than 24 hours later due to a careless mistake by a worker. They resumed operations Monday.


NRA to Tepco: Fix water mess, even add workers - Japan Times
The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Friday ordered Tokyo Electric Power Co. to bring under control the massive amount of radioactive water gushing from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear complex, including by boosting worker numbers on-site.

Hirose bowing
“I want you to implement on-site management appropriately even if it requires bringing workers from Tepco’s other nuclear power plants,” Ikeda warned Hirose.

source : Japan Times


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October 06, 2013

Abe: Japan wants advice on water leaks - NHK
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says Japan wants to obtain advanced knowledge from other countries for use in preventing leaks of contaminated water at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Abe made the remark at the opening ceremony of the 10th annual meeting of the Science and Technology in Society forum in Kyoto on Sunday.
Abe called the Fukushima Daiichi accident a "bitter lesson". He called on participants at the forum to contribute in their most advanced knowledge for use in coping with problems at the plant, including radioactive water leaks. . . .


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October 07, 2013

Power failure briefly halts cooling at Fukushima - NHK
A partial power failure at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Monday briefly halted the injection of cooling water into one of the reactors. The plant operator believes human error to be the cause of the blackout.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says an alarm indicating falling voltage sounded at a power switchboard at the No.1 turbine building on Monday morning.
TEPCO says a pump that injects water to cool nuclear fuel inside the No.1 reactor had stopped. But a backup pump quickly kicked in. It says the reactor's temperature remained unchanged.
The operator says the blackout also halted systems that decontaminate radioactive gases in the No.1 and 2 containment vessels. But backup systems there also took over.
TEPCO believes the power failure occurred when a worker mistakenly pushed the switchboard's stop button during an inspection.
In March, a rat entered a makeshift outdoor power distribution board at the plant, causing a short circuit. Systems to cool a pool in which spent fuel rods are stored were down for as long as 29 hours.
Four months later, the No.6 reactor's cooling machinery was suspended for about 2 hours due to worker's mistake.


TEPCO aims to eliminate human error - NHK
The president of Tokyo Electric Power Company says the utility will take steps to prevent problems caused by human error at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
Naomi Hirose was speaking before an Upper House panel on Monday. Industry minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shunichi Tanaka were also in attendance.
Hirose acknowledged the need to improve the working environment at the plant following a series of problems caused by human error. He said workers should not be allowed to become exhausted and that his company plans to increase the workforce and open more employee lounges.
Tanaka touched on the utility's application for safety screenings for the idled Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear plant in Niigata Prefecture.
He said regulators will carefully consider how to proceed with the screenings. He said the situation at Fukushima Daiichi has not been sufficiently stabilized to reassure the public about nuclear safety.
Tanaka added that the Authority is asking the utility for a report on safety management at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa by the end of the week.
Motegi expressed caution about the concept of liquidating Tokyo Electric Power Company.
He said that if the utility goes bankrupt under current laws, administrators would use its assets to pay institutional investors before compensating Fukushima residents or paying subcontractors at Fukushima Daiichi.
He said that if this happens, efforts to deal with the massive amounts of contaminated wastewater would be delayed.
Motegi suggested that the government consider how to support the company by taking into account future energy policies and progress being made on compensation.
The panel was convened to discuss the massive wastewater problem at the plant while the Diet is not in session.

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October 09, 2013

Corroded tank plates caused Fukushima leakage - NHK
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says they've discovered the reason that radioactive water leaked from a storage tank in August. The cause was gaps created on steel plates that had corroded at the bottom of the tank.
In the accident, more than 300 tons of contaminated water leaked from the tank. Some of the water is believed to have flowed into the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Officials from the Tokyo Electric Power Company said on Tuesday they found small gaps around 2 bolt holes that join steel plates at the bottom of the tank.
They discovered corrosion around the gaps. It measured 1 to 2 centimeters long and 3 millimeters wide for each. They believe that contaminated water seeping into the bolt holes corroded the steel plates, causing the gaps to widen.
There are more than 300 storage tanks holding water contaminated at Fukushima Daiichi.
Tokyo Electric Power says it plans to replace the tanks with ones with welded steel plates as soon as possible to prevent a recurrence of the leakage.


Pipe detachment causes leak at Fukushima Daiichi - NHK
Workers at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have caused a fresh leak of contaminated water by mistakenly detaching a pipe.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority says at least 6 workers were sprayed with the contaminated water and are being checked for radiation exposure.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, says the workers mistakenly detached a water pipe from a joint near a desalination device on Wednesday morning.
The accident caused contaminated water to leak for about 50 minutes.
TEPCO says the water is contained inside a 60-meter-long, 12-meter-wide barrier that surrounds the device and has not leaked outside the compound.
The water is highly radioactive, containing 37 million becquerels of beta ray-emitting material per liter.
Worker errors have been occurring frequently at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, as TEPCO struggles to keep the facility under control.

Fukushima plant workers exposed to radiation - NHK
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says 6 of its workers were exposed to radiation on Wednesday morning due to a contaminated water leak caused by human error.
Tokyo Electric Power Company said on Wednesday evening that the workers had been decontaminated and that it will step up efforts to prevent a recurrence.
It says the workers mistakenly detached a water pipe from a joint near a desalination device at around 9:30 AM.
The accident caused about 7 tons of contaminated water to leak for about an hour. TEPCO says the water is contained inside a 60-meter-long, 12-meter-wide barrier that surrounds the device.
The water is highly radioactive, containing 34 million becquerels of beta ray-emitting material per liter.
Six of 11 workers at the site were sprayed with the radioactive water.
TEPCO says the affected workers were decontaminated and that the maximum level of their exposure to beta rays was 1.2 millisieverts. The government sets the exposure limit for skin at 500 millisieverts per year.
Company officials say alertness among workers may be decreasing due to an increased burden of preventing further leaks. They add they will redouble efforts to prevent accidents.


- quote - Japan Times
Six workers at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant were doused Wednesday with radioactive water from a desalination system, Tepco said.
. . . The mishap is the latest in a spate of leaks and problems caused by human error that have added to public criticism of Tepco’s handling of the crisis.
source : www.japantimes.co.jp


Japan to work with IAEA on radioactive wastewater - NHK
Japan and the UN's nuclear watchdog have agreed to work together to dispel global fears over radioactive wastewater at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Japan's Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi met in Tokyo on Wednesday with International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano.
Motegi stressed the importance of highly reliable monitoring of radioactive substances in the wastewater, as well as quick public disclosure of accurate information.
He sought help from the IAEA in these areas.
Amano said he believes the crippled plant is generally in stable condition, and promised to cooperate with Japan in monitoring the wastewater.

Nuclear regulator says worker morale is declining - NHK
The head of Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority says a decline in worker morale at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is one of the causes behind radioactive water leaks and other problems.
NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka made the remark at a news conference on Wednesday in answer to questions regarding a series of troubles at the plant.
Tanaka said some problems can be prevented only in a positive work environment where each employee has strong morale.
Given the fact that many workers at the Daiichi plant are from subcontracting companies, the chairman said officials and employees of Tokyo Electric Power Company must commit themselves to the ongoing work at the site.
TEPCO will submit to the nuclear authority a series of measures to prevent the leak of contaminated water and other problems. Tanaka said he will closely scrutinize the plan.
Last Friday, the secretariat of the nuclear authority asked TEPCO President Naomi Hirose to come up with the measures in about a week. The secretariat proposed the idea of taking more workers from other nuclear plants to cope with the water leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi facility.



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October 10, 2013

Radioactive cesium detected in seawater - NHK
Radioactive cesium has been detected in seawater outside the port of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, says it took a seawater sample on Tuesday outside a breakwater about one kilometer off the coast.
The company began monitoring at that spot in August, after it acknowledged in July that contaminated groundwater had been seeping into the ocean.
One-point-four becquerels per liter of cesium-137 was found in the sample. This is the first time that the radioactive material has been detected in seawater taken at that spot.
TEPCO officials say the radiation level is lower than the safety standard for drinking water set by the World Health Organization, which is 10 becquerels per liter.
They say a seawater sample taken from the spot on Thursday did not contain a detectable level of cesium.
They will continue to monitor seawater to find out whether contaminated groundwater is affecting the seawater outside the plant's port.



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October 12, 2013

High radiation reported near tanks - Japan Times
Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Friday that high radiation levels have been detected near three water storage tanks at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
The highest reading was 69.9 millisieverts per hour near one of the three tanks holding radioactive water to the west of the building housing reactor 1.
It is the same area where high radiation levels were detected in early September. The highest reading at that time was 2,200 millisieverts per hour.
MORE
source : www.japantimes.co.jp


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October 13, 2013

UN panel: radiation dose may be underestimated - NHK
A UN panel says Japanese authorities may have underestimated radiation doses workers received in the initial phase of the Fukushima nuclear crisis in 2011.
Investigators from the UN Scientific Committee of Atomic Radiation recently filed their report.
They raised doubts about estimates by the Japanese government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company.
Panel members analyzed records of 25,000 workers who worked at the plant until last October, paying special attention to 12 workers with higher doses.
The UN committee found the Japanese government and TEPCO ignored the effects of radioactive iodine.
Some kinds of iodine have much shorter half-lives than other radioactive substances. Analysts would have had to test workers immediately to discover the true dose.
But the investigators pointed to a substantial delay in measuring procedures. They concluded that current estimates may be 20 percent lower than they should be.
The committee urged the government and TEPCO to observe workers' conditions over the long term.


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October 15, 2013

Fukushima Daiichi braces for strong typhoon - NHK
Workers at the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant have taken measures against approaching powerful typhoon Nr. 26, Wipha to prevent leakage of radioactive water.
Officials at the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, say workers confirmed on Tuesday that pumps and piping to inject water into the plant's disabled reactors are fixed by ropes.
When a tropical storm approached the plant this month, water flowed over a barrier surrounding tanks storing radioactive water. Another leak of the contaminated water occurred after workers moved water behind a barrier to tanks on a slope. TEPCO says the leakage occurred due to improper prior checks.
The utility says it has secured new storage tanks capable of holding about 4,000 tons of water to prepare for rising water levels. This measure was taken in addition to conventional steps of moving water that accumulated behind a barrier to another barrier and nearby tanks.
The company also says it has secured more than 50 workers dedicated to transferring water.

TEPCO instructed to look for other possible leaks - NHK news
Japan's nuclear regulators have instructed the operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to look into the possibility of contaminated water leaking from an unexpected source.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority issued the instruction on Tuesday after data showed hardly any change in radioactive cesium levels in seawater samples taken from the port at the plant in the past 2 months.
The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, has been taking steps to stop the leakage since July. The measures include solidifying the ground between the damaged reactors and pumping up underground water.
NRA Commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa said the data raises doubts about TEPCO's assumptions.
The utility says the water accumulating in reactor buildings is seeping into the ground and mixing with underground water. It assumes that 200 tons of radioactive water is leaking into the ocean every day.
Another expert also pointed out that drainage ditches should be inspected for possible water leaks.


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October 16, 2013

TEPCO checks, releases typhoon rainwater into sea - NHK
TEPCO releases rainwater from typhoon
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has released rainwater that had accumulated in the compound from typhoon Wipha. The water has reportedly cleared tests for radioactivity.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says the rainwater had accumulated inside barriers surrounding tanks used to store radioactive wastewater. It began releasing the water from 9 locations on Wednesday morning.
The rainwater underwent 5 checks for radioactivity on Tuesday, including tests for cesium and strontium-90.
TEPCO says the levels met standards set by the Nuclear Regulation Authority for radioactive wastewater normally released into the sea.
The level of tritium, which takes longer to measure, is also likely to be safe.
In a separate move, TEPCO made an emergency transfer of highly radioactive water that had pooled at 2 other locations. The water was transferred to an adjacent underground storage pool.
TEPCO had not stored water underground since a leak in April. But because rainwater from the typhoon was rising fast, the utility decided to store the radioactive water temporarily in an underground pool that had not leaked. It will then transfer it to a tank for wastewater.
TEPCO has built additional storage tanks and increased personnel and patrols to control contaminated water after a storm earlier this month. Radioactive water flowed over barriers at that time, and seeped out of an overfilled tank.
The Nuclear Regulation Authority says it was notified on Wednesday morning of TEPCO's decision to transfer the water to an underground pool.
The authority gave the go-ahead after judging that the risk of a leak was minimal.
It said the tank to which the water was transferred had not been used since passing a safety inspection, and that the tank would only be used temporarily.
The authority asked TEPCO to tighten monitoring for possible leaks.

Abe talks of Fukushima plant - NHK
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says radioactive water leakage at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is under control.
Abe made the remark in a lower house session on Wednesday in response to a question from an opposition leader about Abe's policy speech on the previous day.
The questioner asked whether Abe adheres to his remark that the situation at Fukushima Daiichi is under control. The lawmaker argued that a senior official of the plant operator said he cannot confirm that this is the case.
Abe said leaks still occur, but that the radioactive water is affecting a limited area inside the plant's port.
He stressed that the government will keep working to address the problem with preventive measures based on knowhow from around the world.

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October 17, 2013

High radiation detected in Fukushima Daiichi ditch - NHK
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it has detected high levels of radiation in a ditch leading to the sea, after Typhoon Wipha brought heavy rain.
Workers at the plant are conducting daily radiation checks of water in the ditch. The measure is to examine the effects of contaminated water leaks from storage tanks.
Officials at the Tokyo Electric Power Company say they detected 1,400 becquerels per liter of beta ray-emitting radioactive material at a measuring point 150 meters from the sea on Wednesday.
The figure was more than 70 times higher than readings taken on Tuesday. It's also the highest since monitoring of the ditch water was started in August.
Officials say rain from the typhoon caused contaminated soil to flow into the ditch and created the high radiation. They say they will begin a cleanup operation.
Officials also say they will assess the effects on the surrounding sea.


TEPCO reports another tank leak - NHK
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says radioactive water has overflowed from a tank storing pumped-up groundwater.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says an employee found water spilling from the top of the tank Thursday morning.
TEPCO says it has stopped drawing up groundwater. The leakage has been contained within a barrier set up around the tank.
The utility says it is investigating how much water spilled from the tank and why. It says a pump used to send the water from the tank to its storage place in the reactor building may not have been working.
The tank is located on the embankment facing the ocean and near the badly damaged reactors No. 1 and 2.
TEPCO began pumping up groundwater near the reactors in August to reduce the amount of contaminated water flowing into the sea. The groundwater is flowing from the mountains and gets tainted as it passes through the plant premises.

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High radioactivity found in Fukushima Daiichi well - NHK
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says that it has detected a sharp rise in radioactivity in a well near a storage tank.
The tank leaked more than 300 tons of contaminated water in August. Some of it is believed to have poured into the sea via a ditch.
Officials of the Tokyo Electric Power Company say that they detected 400,000 becquerels per liter of beta ray-emitting radioactive substances, including strontium, at the well on Thursday.
The level is 6500 times higher than the readings on the previous day.
The well was dug to monitor the impact of the leakage and is located at about 10 meters from the tank.
High levels of radioactive tritium, which tends to be transferred easily in water, had been already detected.
TEPCO officials believe Thursday's findings show that radioactive substances such as strontium, which are transferred relatively slowly, have reached the ground water.
There is another well about 100 meters from the tank near the seaside. It's for pumping up groundwater before it seeps into the reactor building and vicinity so as to contain the increase of contaminated water.
TEPCO will remove the contaminated soil around the tank and continue to closely watch radioactivity levels of the groundwater at the monitoring well.


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October 18, 2013

Radiation checks for Fukushima fish - NHK
Fishing cooperatives in Fukushima Prefecture will voluntarily check their hauls for radioactivity before shipment.
The national standard for radiation in marine products is 100 bequerels of cesium per kilogram.
The co-ops have set their own standard of 50 bequerels per kilogram and say that only fish below that level will be shipped to markets.
They say that they will dispose of all of a day's catch of a particular species if they detect radiation exceeding their limit.
The co-ops say that so far levels in the species they checked have been under 50 bequerels or undetectable.
But according to the government's Fisheries Agency results released this month, some bottom-dwelling fish such as flounder and cod off Fukushima Prefecture still have radiation levels higher than 100 bequerels per kilogram.


TEPCO to contain tainted underground water - NHK
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it plans to take additional measures to contain the spread of contaminated water that leaked from a storage tank.
Tokyo Electric Power Company managers on Wednesday announced they had detected 400,000 becquerels per liter of beta ray-emitting radioactive substances in water collected from a monitoring well.
They said the figure is more than 6,000 times higher than the level recorded the day before.
They also said the level of radioactive strontium also tripled to the highest-ever figure of 790,000 becquerels per liter.
The well is some 10 meters from a storage tank that holds radioactive water. More than 300 tons of the water leaked from the tank in August. Some of it is believed to have seeped into nearby soil and also reached the ocean through a ditch.
TEPCO officials have been containing the problem by retrieving contaminated soil near the tank. But their efforts to completely remove the tainted soil are being hindered by the presence of pipes and other fixtures in the area.
TEPCO plans to collect the soil under the pipes and also wants to set up a new well to pump up the tainted water.
It has also announced that some 2,400 tons of water had been released from floodgates when heavy rainfall brought on by Typhoon Wipha caused water levels to rise on Wednesday.
The operator maintains that radioactivity levels have stayed below the government set standard and isn't having a negative impact on the environment.


Test fishing process in Fukushima - NHK
In the test fishing off the coast of Fukushima prefecture, fishermen are allowed to operate in limited waters and catch only certain types of seafood. This is to ensure the products' safety and win consumer trust.
In the immediate aftermath of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, sea currents were flowing to south. Thus radiation levels were higher in marine products caught in the waters south of the plant.
. . . . Authorities initially limited test fishing to 3 types of seafood in which almost no radioactive materials were detected in sampling. Now fishermen are allowed to catch 18 types.


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October 20, 2013

Radioactive water leaks from 12 barriers - NHK
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says radioactive water has overflowed 12 barriers around tanks holding radioactive water. Tokyo Electric Power Company says some of the water may have reached the ocean.
The utility says workers found water spilling from five barriers Sunday afternoon. They found additional leakages in seven barriers Sunday evening.
TEPCO says the barriers are 30-centimeter-high. Some of them have already contained at least 20-centimeters of rain water. But workers can pump out only a couple of centimeters a day.
More than 100 millimeters of rain was recorded at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant over four hours on Sunday afternoon.
The operator of the crippled plant also says workers released some of the water accumulated inside barriers into the ground. The utility says the water met safety standards for radioactivity set by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.


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October 21, 2013

TEPCO: Strontium tops safety standards in 6 spots - NHK
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says radioactive strontium in 6 barriers, around tanks storing contaminated water, exceeded the government safety limit.
Workers found on Sunday that heavy downpours caused water to flow over 11 of the barriers.
Tokyo Electric Power Company says levels of radioactive strontium in 6 of them were above the government-approved limit for releasing the substance.
The highest reading was 71 times the set standard of 10 becquerels per liter.
TEPCO says the water that overflowed may have reached the ocean.
Pumps could not keep up with the rising water levels in the barriers after last week's typhoon and Sunday's downpours. The barriers are 30 centimeters high.
TEPCO plans to double the number of pumps as another typhoon is expected to approach Japan this week.


IAEA experts report on Fukushima decontamination - NHK
A team from the world's nuclear watchdog has presented a report that offers advice on how Japan can proceed with decontaminating the areas around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
In a weeklong mission to Japan, radiation experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency inspected decontamination work sites in Fukushima.
They also met officials of the environment ministry and local authorities to be briefed on efforts to manage the toxic waste and discuss issues to be tackled.
The team's leader, Juan Carlos Lentijo , submitted the report to Japan's Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara in Tokyo on Monday.
The report calls for further government efforts to inform local residents that its goal of reducing yearly radiation levels to one millisievert or below cannot be achieved quickly through decontamination work alone.
It also urges the government to continue to perform radiation checks on all residents in the area.
They say laying out a comprehensive blueprint for decontamination and reconstruction programs is the way to make local authorities and residents fully prepared for disasters, and to allow evacuees to return home.
Ishihara said the government will take the recommendations into full account.
Lentijo later told reporters that although there has been much progress in decontamination efforts, more thought should be given to achieving a balance between resulting benefits and required costs and burdens.

Japan to step up monitoring of radioactive water - NHK
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has announced plans to monitor offshore radiation around the clock.
TEPCO officials met with a panel of Nuclear Regulation Authority experts on Monday. The panel is studying the impact of radioactive water leaks from the plant.
TEPCO workers currently measure radiation levels in the port and near the shores once a day.
But many experts have been calling for 24-hour monitoring to allow faster responses to unexpected leaks and provide a clearer idea of how much water has escaped.
TEPCO officials said they will provide more details of the plan at a meeting scheduled for next month.
The nuclear regulators have proposed expanding the offshore monitoring from the current 300 kilometers to between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometers.
One regulator said the agency will ask the operators of oceangoing vessels to collect data for northern Pacific Rim countries that are worried about radioactive leaks.


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October 22, 2013

TEPCO struggles with rainwater contamination - NHK
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is bracing for more downpours by adding additional pumps to cope with radiation-contaminated rainwater.
A weekend storm caused accumulation of rainwater inside tank barriers that are meant to contain radiation leaks. The tainted water overflowed 11 barriers on Sunday.
At 6 of them, the spilled rainwater contained radioactive strontium above the government-approved release limit of 10 becquerels per liter. Levels at the most contaminated site were at 71 times that limit.
Tokyo Electric Power Company said that pumps installed to drain rainwater from the barriers didn't have enough capacity to keep up with the rising water levels.
TEPCO says it will add 19 more pumps that can drain up 60 tons of water per hour. This will boost the system's pumping capacity to about 4 times the current level.
The utility also plans to use larger draining hoses to speed up the transfer of water from the barriers.
The operator says it will measure radiation levels of water in the barriers before removing it to containers. This is to ascertain its toxicity before it is diluted by added rainwater.
A TEPCO official admitted that the company underestimated the amount of possible rainfall. The official said TEPCO will bring in more workers if necessary.


Tiny amount of cesium detected off Fukushima plant - NHK
Tokyo Electric Power Company says a very small amount of radioactive cesium has been detected about one kilometer off the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant it operates.
TEPCO has been analyzing seawater taken at 5 locations outside the plant's harbor. This is to monitor the spread of radioactive substances in wastewater that's believed to be seeping out with groundwater.
A sample taken last Friday about one kilometer offshore was found to contain 1.6 becquerels of cesium-137 per liter.
The level is far below the 90 becquerels-per-liter limit for releasing cesium-137 into the sea. But it is the second time the substance has been detected at this location since monitoring began in August. The previous finding was on October 8th.
TEPCO says it does not know why cesium has been found at that specific spot. But the company says it poses no environmental risk as the level is near the minimum detection threshold. It adds that hardly any cesium is being found elsewhere in the sea outside of the port.



TEPCO test to freeze contaminated water - NHK
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is conducting an unusual test to freeze radioactive water.
The test is part of a project involving the removal of radioactive water from an underground tunnel to prevent contaminated groundwater from flowing into the sea. TEPCO regards the water in the tunnel as the main source of contamination.
The utility believes the groundwater becomes contaminated as it passes through the plant's compound and mixes with radioactive water seeping from a tunnel connected to a turbine building.
The firm plans to freeze the contaminated water, creating an ice wall that would stop the flow of water from the turbine building to the tunnel.
TEPCO engineers started the test in August using a mockup of the tunnel. They installed coolant pipes between the turbine building and the tunnel. They say an ice wall 2 meters high and 2 meters wide was formed in about a month and a half, and they successfully removed water from the mock tunnel.
But the engineers say the test also revealed additional problems. They had to install extra pipes in some places in the tunnel in order to freeze the water uniformly.
A senior TEPCO official says it will not be easy to install coolant pipes evenly in the real tunnel, given radiation levels and other conditions.
The utility plans to start the work to freeze contaminated water early next year. It will start removing about 10,000 tons of radioactive water from the tunnel in the next fiscal year.


No. 1 water woes laid to Tepco’s ineptitude - Japan Times
Cleanup confounded by failure to foresee mess, accept advice
Chico Harlan

Two and a half years after the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant experienced its three reactor-core meltdowns, efforts to clean up what remains of the complex is turning into another kind of disaster.
. . . But many lawmakers and nuclear industry specialists say Tepco is perpetuating the kinds of mistakes that led to the March 2011 meltdowns: underestimating the plant’s vulnerabilities, ignoring warnings from outsiders and neglecting to draw up plans for things that might go wrong. Those failures, they say, have led to the massive buildup and spills of radioactive water.
. . . The latest government-led actions are particularly galling for some, who say Tepco should have taken similar measures earlier. One lawmaker, Sumio Mabuchi, who was also an adviser at the start of the crisis to then-Prime Minister Naoto Kan, says Tepco, deep in debt, neglected to take important steps against the groundwater two years ago because of concerns about its bottom line.
MORE
- source : japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/10/22


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October 23, 2013


Japan hopes culinary honor helps Fukushima - NHK
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says he hopes UNESCO endorsement of the heritage value of Japan's traditional cuisine helps counter rumors about the safety of food from Fukushima.
Suga told reporters on Wednesday that traditional Japanese food culture is grounded in a spiritual respect for nature. He said those values are sure to be passed on to future generations if they are formally recognized by the UN body in December as an intangible cultural asset.

Fukushima Daiichi struggles with threat of typhoon - NHK
The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is struggling to find storage space for tainted rainwater as another powerful typhoon approaches.
Tokyo Electric Power Company is now seeking approval from the nuclear regulator to use underground pools once deemed too leaky.
Typhoons and downpours have frequently filled barriers around radioactive waste water tanks, producing tainted rainwater.
TEPCO stores the tainted rainwater in tanks unless its radioactivity is below the government-approved level.


But the operator says tanks and a basement in a turbine building allocated for tainted rainwater storage are now almost full.
Typhoon Francisco is set to hit Japan's mainland over the weekend. The utility is asking the Nuclear Regulation Authority for permission to temporarily use 3 underground pools with a storage capacity of about 9,000 tons.
TEPCO suspended using a similar type of pool after some leaked in April. But it now says it has no other option but to use them.
The utility also says it found 59,000 becquerels of Beta-ray emitting radioactivity in an onsite ditch on Tuesday. It says it is transferring the water to a tank.


NRA chief to meet TEPCO head on nuclear safety - NHK
Officials from Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority have criticized a report submitted by Tokyo Electric Power Company on safety measures at its nuclear plants.
The NRA met on Wednesday after TEPCO submitted the report to the authority on Tuesday of last week.
The report outlines the measures TEPCO is taking to prevent radioactive water leaks and other problems at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi plant. In the report, TEPCO also says it is capable of safely managing 2 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture. The utility has plans to restart the reactors.
At the meeting on Wednesday, a member of the NRA called the report "unconvincing" and expressed doubts about whether TEPCO would be able to deal with problems that may arise in the future.
Another member suggested that if TEPCO says there are no problems at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant, then the utility should reassign more workers from there to the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka acknowledged the need to properly question TEPCO. He said that, based on the content of the report, it seems like the plants are being handled by 2 different companies. Tanaka plans to hold a meeting with TEPCO President Naomi Hirose to find out how the utility's management sees the situation.
The NRA has yet to decide whether to proceed with safety assessments of the 2 reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. Newly formulated regulations require the assessments before the reactors can restart.

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October 24, 2013

NRA allows simplified release of barrier water - NHK
Japan's nuclear regulator has allowed the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to simplify its procedure to release water from barriers around tanks holding water contaminated by radioactivity.
A Nuclear Regulation Authority, or NRA, taskforce made the decision on Thursday.
It had previously only permitted the Tokyo Electric Power Company to discharge rainwater from the barriers after it moved the water temporarily into other tanks and confirmed the contamination levels were below the NRA-set standard.
However, since last month, TEPCO has not been able to keep pace with the increase in rainwater volume inside the barriers due to recent downpours.
This has caused water above the permitted contamination level to overflow the barriers.
The situation has prompted the NRA to approve TEPCO's proposal to drop the procedure of temporarily transferring the rainwater in the barriers to other tanks.


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October 25, 2013

TEPCO rushes to transfer contaminated water - NHK
The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant is rushing to take measures to prevent radioactive water in outdoor barriers from overflowing as a severe tropical storm approaches.
Water in barriers around tanks has been accumulating after a series of heavy rains since mid-September. The water is contaminated with radioactive substances.
The tainted water overflowed 11 barriers on Sunday.
At 6 of them, the spilled rainwater contained radioactive strontium above the government-approved release limit.
Tokyo Electric Power Company is transferring water from barriers to other tanks capable of holding a total of 4,000 tons.
TEPCO also plans to move the tainted water to underground pools. Some of those pools leaked radioactive water in April.
The utility has added 19 additional pumps, each of which can deal with 60 tons per hour, as well as 12 vehicles such as fire engines and water tank trucks.
But as of 4PM on Friday, the company did not finish the transfer work at some barriers.
On Thursday, Japans Nuclear Regulation Authority allowed TEPCO to simplify its procedure to release water from barriers by eliminating the step of temporarily transferring it to other tanks.
But the measure will be taken only if contamination levels in barriers are below the NRA-set standard.

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October 28, 2013

ALPS partially restarted in Fukushima plant - NHK
The operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has resumed its trial run of a key water decontamination system. It was shut down due to malfunctions.
Tokyo Electric Power Company on Monday began test-running one of 3 channels of the Advanced Liquid Processing unit, or ALPS. ALPS is capable of removing 62 different kinds of radioactive substances, excluding tritium.
Operation of the channel was suspended in June following leaks of unprocessed radioactive water.
TEPCO engineers discovered holes in the tank storing the contaminated water. Corrosion is apparently to blame. Work to prevent corrosion has been ongoing in all 3 channels of the ALPS system.
A test-run of another ALPS channel began about a month ago. The remaining channel is scheduled for a trial-run mid November.
Repeated suspensions of the unit have delayed the start of full-fledged operation till next year. Full operation was due to begin this autumn.
TEPCO plans to build 3 more ALPS channels next year. They also plan to set up a facility with higher water processing capabilities with government aid.
The utility hopes to complete decontaminating all its stored wastewater by March 2015.
But the question remains whether the trouble-marred ALPS system is capable of functioning over long periods.

NRA, TEPCO heads meet over problems at Fukushima - NHK
The head of Japan's nuclear regulating body has summoned the president of Tokyo Electric Power Company to hear how the utility intends to prevent additional trouble at the crippled Fukushima plant.
Nuclear Regulation Authority Chairman Shunichi Tanaka met Naomi Hirose, president of the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant on Monday.
Tanaka asked Hirose what TEPCO plans to do to prevent radioactive water leaks and other problems at the plant.
Hirose later said he told Tanaka that he plans to send workers from other parts of the utility firm, including the idled Kashiwazaki Kariwa nuclear plant, to the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Hirose said he also told Tanaka that his firm will provide support to the workers to ensure that they can make full use of their skills.
Tanaka reportedly said that he wants TEPCO to carry out drastic long-term reforms. He asked Hirose to improve the working conditions inside the Fukushima plant, including the radioactive decontamination process.
NRA Secretary-General Katsuhiko Ikeda, who also attended Monday's meeting, referred to the possibility that the agency will begin safety screening for 2 reactors at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant.
Ikeda repeated his stance that the agency will make a decision after carefully studying how TEPCO intends to improve the situation at the Fukushima plant.
The utility says it will be able to deal with the problems at the Fukushima plant and maintain safety at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant simultaneously.
But many NRA members have expressed skepticism about TEPCO's explanation.



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