Japan's Epidemic Nuclear FAIL: Fukushima update 2/6/13
Channel: MsMilkytheclown1
Date: 2013-02-07

Human error briefly stops Ohi plant power supply
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20130206_46.html

YouTube Just sent me this message: Your settings could not be saved: The description is too long or contains illegal characters.  LOL doesn't work for them?  

Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority says human error briefly stopped the emergency power supply at the Ohi power plant in Fukui Prefecture on Wednesday. The incident caused no problems for the operation of the plant.

Officials from the authority say the electrical supply stopped for about a minute from a battery necessary to control the emergency diesel generator and the motor valve at the plant's Number 3 reactor. The reactor is one of two at the Ohi plant that are online in Japan. All other reactors in the country are offline.

The officials said a reactor operator mistakenly pressed a switch that shuts off power during a training event by Kansai Electric Power Company, the plant's operator.

Power was restored immediately after the switch was turned on.

The incident caused a brief increase in water levels in the pressurizer for the cooling water. The officials said the trouble did not affect the safety of the reactor.

The officials are looking closely into the details of the incident.

Kansai Electric reported the incident to the central and local governments. It was the first breach of nuclear safety regulations since the utility resumed operation last July after the Fukushima accident in 2011.

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TEPCO to buy US shale gas

Tokyo Electric Power Company says it plans to buy shale gas from the United States to help cut down on fuel costs.

The utility says it has reached a broad agreement with 2 major Japanese trading houses to purchase 800-thousand tons of shale gas every year. The trading houses will buy from the US.

The 20-year-contract would begin in 2017.

TEPCO also says it's in the final stages of negotiations with other businesses to purchase 1-point-2-million tons of shale gas per year.

The utility says using shale gas, which is somewhat cheaper than conventional natural gas, would help cut overall fuel costs by around 530-million dollars a year.

Since the nuclear accident at the utility's Fukushima Daiichi power plant, rising costs of fuel for thermal power generation have been weighing on the company's finances. Thermal power fuel costs are likely to reach around 30-billion dollars this business year.

Feb. 6, 2013 
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NRA to set toughest nuclear plant safety rules

The chairman of Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority says it will set the world's toughest safety standards for nuclear power plants.

Shun-ichi Tanaka made the remark at a committee hearing of the Upper House of the Diet on Wednesday.

Tanaka said he's been reflecting on the nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant and working to protect people and the environment as his mission. He added that he's been making decisions from scientific and technological viewpoints by ensuring transparency.

Tanaka also referred to new nuclear plant safety standards that his agency is to set by July. He said he plans to dispatch agency officials to international bodies this month to hear their opinions.

He said Japan's rules are not as strict as global ones and that he aims to set the world's highest standards based on lessons learned from the Fukushima accident.

Tanaka also commented on differences in assessments of the NRA's geological survey results at nuclear plants by the agency and plant operators.

He said if operators are not convinced by the agency's judgments, they should gather data themselves to scientifically argue their assessments at meetings that the NRA will set up.

Tanaka was appointed by former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in September but must be approved by both Diet chambers.

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http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20130206_49.html
S.Korea: North may be readying hydrogen bomb

South Korea's top military commander says North Korea may test a massive weapon as a stage in completing a hydrogen bomb.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Jung Seung-jo, was speaking to the parliament's defense committee on Wednesday.

Jung said the South Korean military would not exclude the possibility that the North would detonate a boosted fission weapon, a smaller and more sophisticated nuclear bomb.

A boosted fission bomb has greater explosive power than a conventional atomic bomb, with increased frequency of nuclear fission.

Jung said North Korea may conduct a bomb test using high-enriched uranium, or it could conduct two nuclear tests simultaneously.

The general said that North Korea's missile technology must have reached a significant level after the past two nuclear tests.

He said the North must be able to make a nuclear warhead small enough to be mounted on a missile.

Just FYI, the NRC in Japan has been changed to the NRA. LOL...
I cut short the lengthy update to bring you only the highlights.  
Enjoy...