New images from inside Fukushima reactor spark safety worry

Oh, we were already worried. It's only the TEPCO execs who seemed to think everything was all right.

New images from inside Fukushima reactor spark safety worry

Other accident after Chernobyl spark real worry.

the company plans to further analyze data and images over the next couple of months

Just keep analyzing while inaction.

Ok TEPCO, you did literally nothing about this for twelve years beyond hoping we would forget about the chaos your slack inattentiveness laid open for generations.

Just last week, the LDP was opening up the Dead Zone, expecting taxpayers to move back in to the areas riddled with radiation.

Now it's "oh, this is concerning, maybe the rubble of the uncontrolled and ongoing meltdown might not be earthquake-secure".

Let me guess...the only solution is to get another massive slice of taxpayers' cash, so you can do nothing again?

Oh, we were already worried. It's only the TEPCO execs who seemed to think everything was all right.

They didn't think everything was alright. They knew it was a disaster. They just didn't want the public to know so they could keep making money and getting gov handouts paid by our taxes.

Just keep analyzing while inaction.

SOP here.

Ok TEPCO, you did literally nothing about this for twelve years beyond hoping we would forget about the chaos your slack inattentiveness laid open for generations.

Just last week, the LDP was opening up the Dead Zone, expecting taxpayers to move back in to the areas riddled with radiation.

Now it's "oh, this is concerning, maybe the rubble of the uncontrolled and ongoing meltdown might not be earthquake-secure".

Let me guess...the only solution is to get another massive slice of taxpayers' cash, so you can do nothing again?

Well said Derek!

but contaminated water os safe for release in ocean...yes we believe of course...no hoaxes.

Inaction and ineptitude = TEPCO.

Meanwhile let's restart all these other safe old reactors what could go wrong....

Did you notice they did not address Unit Three? It was loaded with fuel spiked with Plutonium, and blew apart.

The No2 reactor is in a worse and more dangerous state than TEPCO previously knew. A strong earthquake could split the container vessel wide open and send the reactor vessel crashing down. Most of the nuclear fuel melted.

TEPCO does not know how to remove the 800 tons of molten fuel.

And yet they still tell us that, 'Despite public concerns, data clearly shows that nuclear power is a much safer energy source than fossil fuels.'

If the reactor containment vessel were to split open there would be no way to cool the molten fuel.

The delays are inevitable. They simply don't have the tools and technologies to fix this yet. The radiation level is too high and access is very difficult. The potential for this to get (a lot) worse is worrying. Stop fussing over all those tanks of water. The reactors are a serious problem that is some distance (and many zillions of Yen) from being fixed.

Proponents are welcome to chime in on how nuclear is the safest and cheapest form of energy etc. Anyone?

The radiation level in the No2 reactor is more than 15 SIEVERTS per hour. Would kill a person in a few minutes.

It is the usual Japanese solution to all problems. Do nothing. In the end the problem will solve itself. That might be in the form of a global disaster but that can’t be helped. Us or European experts would have already solved it but we can not loose face. There are priorities.

Godzilla

I don't understand why they can't dump this remaining reactor parts to the ocean along with that contaminated water.

Jozef

if you know how to remove the corium or melted fuel TEPCO has a job waiting for you.

At least they have what sounds like a concrete plan with set timelines.

Am not a nuclear scientist so don’t have any right to make any form of competency based judgment, only to say that after what 12 years the fact that they’ve only just managed to get a look at the extent of the damage seems agonizingly slow.

Also not sure of what these worst case scenarios could actually mean, say if another earthquake hit the site. No doubt it would not be good. Anyone in the field have any insight and is this really the only pace things can proceed, or is it a Tepco/government issue? Just more questions after reading this really.

Don’t touch a working system and here, also don’t touch a devastated system. The solution of ‘doing nothing’ is the best option. But not in the literal sense of doing really nothing, but more in the sense of leaving that whole area sealed and untouched after hermetically sealing to the sea and covering the reactors with such Chernobyl like sarcophaguses made of concrete or plumb or a combination of those. And than just forgetting that whole area and making it restricted and untouched. All those other schedules and plans are worse options, only spreading the radiation even further, the contaminated water into the sea and the reactors’ debris on land. Those are bad ideas, of course.

TEPCO and a team of international scientists and nuclear engineers are working with the Japanese to resolve the technical problems. The inside of the N0 2 reactor was badly damaged and the lid on the reactor was displaced allowing higher radiation to leak out. Difficult to get a robot inside the reactor which soon becomes fired from the radiation.

The Fukushima disaster is unique and never happened before so no previous experience to help with this one.

TEPCO cannot be sure it can even remove the melted fuel.

When it comes to a major nuclear disaster the timeline is always very slow.

Way too slow, TEPCO!

In Chernobyl it took 3 weeks to seal a sarcophagus.

The meltdown was in April 26, 1986, in May 14, 1986 they finished.

Chernobyl and Fukushima are very different types of nuclear disasters. At Chernobyl, the reactor exploded. At Fukushima, there were nuclear fuel meltdowns in three reactors. Fukushima is next to the ocean and has underground water. The corium needs a constant flow of cooling water.

It could several years to construct a more permanent sarcophagus at Chernobyl.

It's sheer madness. What kind of arrogance got us to this point? Because there was not a shred of humility in paying off the locals and building these reactors. "We know best what you need," has been the mantra of bureaucracy, business and elected officials for far too long.

Maybe someone can answer me: has there ever been an official report or investigation into this disaster with powers to question and subpoena documents and drill down into the catalogue of incompetence here right from the beginning? I doubt it somehow. Self-reflection always loses out to "better not to know or disclose".

There's a madness of wrongs dealing with the Fukushima meltdown.

Worst is the dumping of seawater.

Should have been sand, clay, boron, lead and dolomite instead of water.

Who took that stupid decision?

I remember all the international media Live Casting that pouring salt water is the worst thing to do in these cases.

TEPCO solution "Lets keep jacking up the electricity price"

lunatic

There's a madness of wrongs dealing with the Fukushima meltdown.

> Worst is the dumping of seawater.

> Should have been sand, clay, boron, lead and dolomite instead of water.

> Who took that stupid decision?

> I remember all the international media Live Casting that pouring salt water is the worst thing to do in these cases.

How do you get the sand, clay, boron, lead, and dolomite into the pipes normally carrying cooling water? Water prevents radiation from leaking into the atmosphere. Nuclear reactors are designed to be cooled by water.

TEPCO initially resisted using seawater for the cooling because it would prevent the reactors from ever being used again. But the plant manager took urgent action to use seawater and prevented a worse nuclear disaster.

12 years wait for a blurry photo.

No2 is worse than number one, so all the media attention is on No 1

@moonraker, TEPCO, CAS and the IAEA all have published reports, along with many worldwide nuclear organisations. All are available on the internet.

There have been a number of court cases involving the government and TEPCO being sued by local plaintiffs.

Local courts have found them guilty, and predicatably, higher courts have dismissed the verdicts on appeal.

I remember that day, I was watching it on Japanese TV and online live TV.

I can't forget that WTF moment listening to international experts on TV, and the nonsense reality.

-Why are these helicopters pouring water there?

-They are damaging the structure and spreading radioactive materials!

The helicopters mostly missed their targets.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/mar/17/japan-nuclear-crisis-fukushima-seawater-reactors

There was a window for a cheaper alternative. It was squandered. Pretty much Japan (in general) in a nutshell...

THIS!!! Well said!

Yeah, I mean more like a Royal Commission in some Commonwealth countries, wanderlust. All the negative votes to my question probably means the majority don't want to know.

Moonraker

Maybe someone can answer me: has there ever been an official report or investigation into this disaster with powers to question and subpoena documents and drill down into the catalogue of incompetence here right from the beginning? I doubt it somehow. Self-reflection always loses out to "better not to know or disclose".

There was a full investigation by a Diet Committee and an extensive report was published. 500+ pages.

Knock yourself out

https://www.mhmjapan.com/content/files/00002247/report.pdf

There was an extensive report by TEPCO, IAEA, and many others.

https://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/betu12_e/images/120620e0104.pdf

https://www-pub.iaea.org/mtcd/publications/pdf/pub1710-reportbythedg-web.pdf

https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/icanps/eng/final-report.html

I did not vote your comment down.