Fukushima: Still Leaking Like A Sieve, April 2013
Channel: onthewaytoextinction
Date: 2013-04-09

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

ANOTHER FUKUSHIMA STORAGE TANK LEAKING

Another tank storing contaminated water at the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has developed problems. This is the third tank to leak at the plant.

Tokyo Electric Power Company had been moving contaminated water into the tank from an underground tank that was found to have leaked 120 tons of water last week.

The chlorine level at a monitoring point between triple-layered insulating sheets at the receiving tank stood at 910 parts per million on Tuesday, compared to 4 ppm on Monday. This indicates water leakage.

TEPCO says it halted the transfer of water at 12:47 PM on Tuesday. It later confirmed that the chlorine level was 200 times higher than the previous day and found a concentration of radioactive substances.

The utility explained that the upper areas of the tanks could leak, so it would keep water levels below 80 percent capacity.

But the receiving tank has a capacity of 13,000 tons and was only 55 percent full.

Water is believed to be leaking from the lower part of the container. TEPCO will be required to again review its methods of managing contaminated water.

The company continues to struggle with a huge amount of contaminated water, with insufficient alternate storage areas.

Apr. 9, 2013 - Updated 06:58 UTC

NUCLEAR REGULATOR INSTRUCTS TEPCO OVER WATER LEAKS

 Japan's nuclear regulator has instructed the operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to swiftly find the cause of radioactive water leaks from underground storage tanks there.

The move comes after the Tokyo Electric Power Company reported a massive leak of more than 120 tons of contaminated water from an underground storage tank last week. There was another report on Sunday of a small leak of up to 3 liters from different tank. 

Toyoshi Fuketa, a member of the Nuclear Regulation Authority, summoned to his office Zengo Aizawa, a vice president of TEPCO on Monday.

Fuketa urged Aizawa to identify the cause of the leaks and their environmental impact, and to review TEPCO's storage system of tainted water.

Fuketa stressed the authority is taking the leaks seriously.
He said the existing tanks have to be used to store the contaminated water for the time being because of the current tank shortage. He urged the TEPCO executive to come up with a more secure plan to store radioactive water.

He also said he will consider expanding the authority's inspection staff at the Fukushima plant after the plant suffered a series of problems, including last month's power failure at the fuel pools.

Apr. 8, 2013 - Updated 07:53 UTC

TEPCO HEAD BRIEFS GOVERNMENT ON LEAKAGE ACCIDENT

 The head of Tokyo Electric Power Company says the utility will remove by Wednesday radiation-contaminated water from storage tanks at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

TEPCO President Naomi Hirose made the pledge on Monday when he briefed Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi about the recent accidents at the plant.

More than 120 tons of contaminated water leaked from an underground storage tank last week. A minor leakage was also found at another tank on Sunday.

Hirose told Motegi that the work to transfer the remaining contaminated water to other storage tanks in the compound will be completed in 3 days time.

He promised that TEPCO would strengthen its monitoring of the tanks.

Motegi told Hirose the utility must prevent the contaminated water from entering the nearby Pacific Ocean.

TEPCO says it has set up an emergency taskforce led by its president to deal with a spate of accidents at the Fukushima plant. The cooling system for spent fuel pools failed due to a power blackout last month and earlier this month.

Apr. 8, 2013 - Updated 09:23 UTC

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