E-Journal of Advanced Maintenance Vol.7-2 (2015) 154-159
Japan Society of Maintenology

Status of Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning and Decontamination
ProjectDouglas M. Chapin1,*1

MPR Associates, 320 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314, USABSTRACT
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident occurred in March 2011 as a result of a major earthquake andtsunami. It is probably the second worst commercial nuclear plant accident in terms of on-site damage andoff-site release; Chernobyl was the world’s worst. Japan has begun a huge, complex and expensive effort torecover from the accident at the site, prevent and reduce further off-site damage and health effects, anddecommission all the plants on the Fukushima Daiichi site. A major plan and roadmap has been developed andis being pursued. The plan and roadmap are also continually reviewed, and are changed and modified as theactual accident conditions are discovered, and the detailed technical efforts and equipment to achieve successmust be dealt with.
An overall project organization has been set up in Japan for the decommissioning. It involves several
portions of the Japanese government such as METI and NRA. It also includes TEPCO, IRID and many otherJapanese and International companies, R&D organizations, universities, laboratories, local governments, etc.
The Japanese have also sought out and set up work with a small International Expert Group, the IEG. These six
individuals have extensive knowledge and experience in dealing with the sort of problems and issues that mustbe faced at Fukushima. Much of this experience comes from dealing with nuclear plant accidents and problems,
including severe core damage, at locations outside Japan. The author is a member of this group.
The paper provides an overall summary of the current status and organization of the Fukushima
Decommissioning Project, and identifies several of the key organizations and their roles. The paper discusses
technical issues and problems currently being pursued on the site, e.g., spent fuel removal, fuel debris removal,monitoring and controlling radiation dose on the site, and collecting, processing, storing and releasing waterfrom the site.
Significant progress has been made. The wide range of Japanese and International organizations areenergetically and effectively participating in the needed activities. Safety is improving and doses for off-site
public and site workers continue to reduce. Damaged buildings and systems are being repaired, spent fuelremoval progresses and radwaste cleanup and storage is underway. Successful pursuit and completion of tasks
to date has provided important new information, resulted in better performance of many systems on site, andfreed up resources to address important additional tasks. Significant R&D is underway, and is helping identify
and produce new hardware and techniques to support needed tasks.
The Japanese estimate the Fukushima decontamination and decommissioning task will require 30-40
more years. Based on the data in hand, the author considers that this estimated duration is uncertain, but seems
to be a reasonable estimate. The Japanese are strongly committed and dedicated to this effort being safely
achieved, despite the high cost and major needed effort, and the author agrees this should be the expected andanticipated result.
KEYWORDS

ARTICLE INFORMATION

Project organization, roadmap, key participants, current status, spent
fuel removal, fuel debris removal, radiation dose control, site waterhandlingArticle history:
Received 21 November 2014
Accepted 3 June 2015

1.

Introduction

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident occurred in March 2011 as result of amajor
earthquake and tsunami. Most major damage came from the tsunami. Fukushima Daiichi is probably
the world’s second worst nuclear plant accident in terms of on-site damage and off-site release;
Chernobyl was the worst.
*

Corresponding author, E-mail: dchapin@mpr.com

ISSN-1883-9894/10 © 2010 – JSM and the authors. All rights reserved.

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D. M. Chapin / Status of Fukushima Daiichi
Decommissioning and Decontamination ProjectJapan has begun a huge, complex and expensive effort to recover from the accident at the site.
This effort will likely take many decades. There are three major steps for the recovery to be completed
safely:-2.

Recover from the accident at the plants. As of today, a lot of work in this step has been
completed but additional work needs to be done.
Prevent and reduce further off-site damage and health effects. This step is in progress.
Decontaminate and decommission all the plants at the site; this step is underway but anenormous effort remains to complete it

Decontamination and Decommissioning Program Phases

Fukushima recovery has many activities. The program is currently planned on the basis of fourmajor phases:- Achieve stable conditions and adequately suppress on-site and off-site radiation emissions anddose.
- Maintain and improve stable reactor cooling and water processing; begin removal of spent
fuel. Begin processing of radwaste.
- Complete spent fuel removal from all units and complete processing of accumulated wastewater. Begin fuel debris removal. Continue radioactive waste processing and disposal.
Commence nuclear facilities decommissioning.
- Complete fuel debris removal. Complete decommissioning of facilities. Complete radioactive
waste storage and disposal.

3.

Project Roadmap

The recovery program has many ongoing activities that proceed in parallel and fit into various
stepsin the plan and the phases of the overall effort. In order to have a general understanding bythe
Japanese government, as well as all the participating organizations and participants and interestedparties, a major plan and roadmap is needed. A roadmap has been developed and it outlines what isbeing pursued. As the work progresses, many things change. The plan and roadmap are also
periodically reviewed, changed and modified as progress is made, delays occur and new conditions
are discovered.So, the roadmap provides guidance regarding schedule, technical efforts andequipment needed to achieve success. Currently, in late 2014 and early 2015, the roadmap isundergoing extensive revision yet again. So, it is not practical to include a Figure illustrating theroadmap.
The Fukushima Roadmap recognizes that such documents have been successfully used in otherprojects regarding major accidents and key nuclear technology activities. As a result, inputs fromother accidents (TMI-2, Chernobyl, PAKs, Sellafield) and from processing facilities such as La Hague,provided suggestions regarding roadmap content, structure and use.

4.

Decontamination and Decommissioning Program Organization

A large, complex overall project organization has been set up in Japan for the Decommissioning
and Decontamination project. The organization has been adjusted and modified based on experienceand the most recent set of changes were made in 2014. The organization involves several portions ofthe Japanese government and local governments close to the Fukushima site. It addresses
stakeholders’ needs and issues, e.g., Fisherman organizations and citizen groups. It createscollaboration among numerous Japanese and International companies, R&D Organizations,
Universities, Laboratories, Local Governments, etc.

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Decommissioning and Decontamination Project

The Japanese organization also sought out and set up work with a small International Expert
Group, the IEG. These six individuals have extensive knowledge and experience in dealing with thesort of problems and issues that must be faced at Fukushima. Much of this experience comes fromdealing with nuclear plant accidents and problems, including severe core damage, at locations outside
Japan. The author is a Chairman of the IEG.
The Fukushima Decontamination and Decommissioning organization has a number ofobjectives:-Identify and successfully pursue critical activities
Set-up decommissioning technology organizations, committees, key members, and workforce
neededPlan, evaluate progress, and accomplish required R&D by public and private sectors in Japanand abroadSupport management and achievement of outstanding critical objectives
Enhance international and domestic alliance, e.g., integrate and disseminate information andresearch results acquired from decommissioning activities

The organizational structure is very complicated. Figure 1 shows an overall picture. Some of thekey participants in this structure are briefly described below.
The national government participants are the Japanese Government, e.g., Ministry of Economy,
Trade and industry (METI), and the national government develops policy objectives and directives.
The Nuclear Regulatory Agency (NRA) is not explicitly shown in Figure 1 but monitors and reviews,
assures compliance to regulatory requirements, and establishes new and modified requirements whenneeded. Local governments monitor and review plans and work progress, approve particular areas andactivities where they have specific responsibility and control, e.g., off-site radwaste storage, and new
off-site industrial and training facilities. Key government personnel also follow and interact actively
in ongoing meetings and activities by participating organizations.
In summer 2014, TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Decontamination and Decommissioning
Engineering Company (FDEC) was set up and assigned the primary responsibility and authority forsite activities and progress. This is a new, large TEPCO subsidiary created solely of this role. The
president is Naohiro Masuda. The management includes four highly experienced nuclear industry
individuals as Vice Presidents overseeing key areas. TEPCO nuclear Energy Department provides
support and services to FDEC at the Fukushima site. FDEC contracts with the International Experts
Group (IEG) to obtain advice and consultation.
The International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) was created for theFukushima project in 2013. It is responsible for managing and implementing R&D activities. Itestablishes cooperative Japanese and overseas research activities. It specifically seeks domestic andinternational proposals for needed tasks; evaluates, selects, and funds winners; and interacts andoversees work as it progresses. IRID also works to strengthen needed technological developments.
There are many Japanese and international organizations that take partin the organization
structure. There are many Japanese vendors and major suppliers: ten Japanese Utilities; several
Japanese Technology Specialty Companies , e.g., robotics, instrumentation, water treatment,construction; Japanese R&D Institutes, Laboratories and Universities. There are also many
international equipment suppliers, Laboratories, Research Institutes, and Nuclear Technology Firms.
The International Expert Group has been set up to support FDEC since mid-2013. It has tworoles:-Contribute to the safe and efficient implementation of the Decommissioning andDecontamination Activity, including R&D
Provide objective advice based on the collective view of the IEG, reflecting the differinginternational experience and expertise of each member of the IEG

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D. M. Chapin / Status of Fukushima DaiichiDecommissioning and Decontamination ProjectFig. 1. High Level Fukushima Decommissioning Program
Organizational Structure and Tasks

The six IEG members are from five countries (US (2), UK. France, Ukraine, and Russia) andhave extensive knowledge and experience in dealing with nuclear accidents, radwaste cleanup andhandling, e.g., TMI-2, Chernobyl, PAK, Sellafield and La Hague. The IEG interacts with the Japanese
Organizations via periodic meetings of the IEG Team all together, and via working group meetings ofportions of the IEG on specific topics. The meetings are effective and the Japanese listen and respond.
It is important to understand that the IEG is only empowered to provide advice and suggestions. TheJapanese Organizations are responsible for the Fukushima Daiichi D&D and R&D tasks and they arealso responsible for the tasks under consideration with the IEG.

5.

Current High Priority Activities

There are many high priority activities in progress. Four examples of high priority items are
discussed below as significant progress has been made on each and work actively continues.
a. Spent Fuel Removal
Spent fuel removal is planned from all three damaged units and eventually spent fuel will beremoved from Units 5 and 6 which are undamaged, but are not likely to be restarted. With
regard to the damaged units:--Unit 4 spent fuel removal began in September 2013 after extensive repairs to thebuilding. About 1350 spent fuel assembles had been removed at the time the paper
was presented. All Unit 4 spent fuel as well as used fuel removal was completed on
December 20, 2014.
In Unit 3 extensive building repair and fuel handling system work is in progress. The
original fuel removal equipment will be removed and a remotely actuated spent fuelremoval system will be used. This design and fabrication has been completed andtesting, along with operator training, will begin off-site in a test facility in November
2014. Additional work on the building to complete repairs and reduce doses isunderway and spent fuel assembly removal will likely begin in late 2015, andcompleted in 2016.

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D. M. Chapin / Status of Fukushima Daiichi
Decommissioning and Decontamination Project-Units 1 and 2 plans and dates for spent fuel removal in these two units awaits a
detailed assessment of the buildings, spent fuel conditions and the fuel handlingequipment.

b. Monitoring and Controlling Radiation Dose on Site
The TEPCO team and contractors have achieved major success in worker safety and reducing
dose and contamination, Examples:-Well-defined conditions and rules are used in all work zones
Highly skilled specialists and specialized equipment assure radiation monitoring andprotection of workers
Strong oversight of work conditions indentifies and forecasts changes; adjusts
techniques and procedures to increase personnel protection
Determining and implementing on-site wastes management /storage sites; interactingwith Japanese and local governments on waste storage locations
Future difficult activities such as fuel debris removal and damaged reactor building
cleanup and repairs are being worked now to assure needed techniques and processes
to reduce dose and assure worker safety.

c. Fuel Debris Removal
Prior fuel debris removal efforts, e.g., TMI-2, PAKs, Chernobyl, and Sellafield all indicate
fuel debris and building conditions are crucial and must be well understood. They markedly
affect the work effort and duration, and are critical to achieving regulatory agreement. So theJapanese team has begun major efforts in this regard. However, the status of the Units 1-3
buildings and the fuel conditions are highly uncertain. As a result, fuel debris removal will not
begin for several years; the actual schedule can be determined once fuel and plant conditions
and the results of the R&D program are available.
TEPCO, in cooperation with IRID,is pursuing the actions to identify fuel debris
removal conditions and develop tools and procedures. For example:-Decontamination and other measures to reduce dose
Identification and inspection of Primary Containment Vessel and Reactor Vessel leaks,and assessing and testing repair techniques; these leaks strongly affect whether wet ordry fuel debris removal techniques can be used
Development of evaluation and detection techniques regarding nuclear criticality
R&D program on fuel debris removal techniques plus design, manufacturing, testing,etc, of equipment and processes
Establish stable storage, processing and disposal of fuel debris after removal

d. Controlling, Processing, Storing, Decontaminating and Releasing Fukushima Site
Accumulated Water
The situation on the site is large and complex. Buildings and reactors are damaged; site
groundwater leaks into buildings, mixes with contaminated water leaking from the reactors
and PCVs; this results in large contaminated water flows out of the buildings to be processedand stored. To deal with this, TEPCO has put a large, complex site water system in place
Figure 2, and works steadily to increase its capacity and performance.
Major capabilities that are being implemented include:-Remove contamination in water: e.g., expand and improve multi-nuclide removalsystems. Final discharge of cleaned water to the environment will regain final
determination regarding allowable tritium content. Discussions among thestakeholders and the government regarding release of low levels of tritium are158

D. M. Chapin / Status of Fukushima Daiichi
Decommissioning and Decontamination Project--6.

underway.
Isolate groundwater from contamination; pump up groundwater flowing into site,
assure its cleanliness. Bypass clean groundwater to the ocean; install an ice-wall on
the ground side of buildings to inhibit groundwater flow and reduce groundwaterlevel adjacent to the buildings
Prevent leakage of contaminated water off site: inject material to improve site soilcondition; prevent leakage to ocean by creating sea-side impenetrable wall; greatly
increase capacity and performance of water storage tanks; process tank contents toremove radio-nuclides and reduce risks.

Conclusion

Overall, significant progress on Fukushima Decommissioning and Decontamination has beenmade. A wide variety of Japanese and International organizations are energetically and effectively
participating in the work ranging over site work, R&D, engineering testing and processes. Safety hasincreased substantially and risk has been reduced.A number of very difficult activities have been
carried out successfully. The level of effort and cost has been high; the current general estimate is thatprobably an additional 30-40 years of effort and high expenditures will be required.Based on the datain hand, this estimate is uncertain, but seems a reasonable. No doubt, there is a lot oftime-consuming and difficult work yet to be done, e.g., access to heavily damaged reactors andbuildings, removing fuel debris, etc. In addition, some of these tasks will require:-Establishing and complying with new regulatory requirements
Obtaining local stakeholder acceptance and agreement
Defining and agreeing on a Japan-wide acceptance and agreement on radioactive waste
storage and disposal.

It is the author’s view that the long duration Fukushima Daiichi Decommissioning and
Decontamination effort can be safely completed.

Fig. 2. Fukushima Site Reactor Cooling and Accumulated Water Treatment System159