Sunday, August 12, 2012

Do you believe it?





Japan Today August 11: Onagawa nuclear plant remarkably undamaged: IAEA
http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/onagawa-nuclear-plant-remarkably-undamaged-iaea

[Excerpted] The structural elements of the plant were “remarkably undamaged given the magnitude of ground motion experienced and the duration and size of this great earthquake,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in an initial report.

Onagawa “experienced very high levels of ground shaking—among the strongest of any plant affected by the earthquake—and some flooding from the tsunami that followed, but was able to shut down safely,” the Vienna-based IAEA said...



 

3 comments:

  1. No, I don't believe this. It may mean that things there have gotten bad. Ask Yoichi Shimatsu, who was recently in that area asking around.

    The IAEA and various media outlets are the enemy of the truth, so one should always be prepared for deviousness and worse from them. Tokyo Electric, for example, was said to be the biggest advertiser in Japan. I know that they regularly had ads that said nothing, or just resembled some vague things supporting global warming treaties or smart grids or some such.

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  2. As I read it, it says the "structural elements of the plant" survived the earthquake remarkably well. I'm not sure exactly what they mean by structural elements. My interpretation of that phrase would be the buildings themselves.

    If that's the case then I would say yes - I believe the the story.

    After all, indications are that Fukushima Daichi was structurally intact before the Tsunami hit it - however inside the reactors themselves, things apparently were not intact. Perhaps they were at Onagawa.

    I do not have a problem with the earthquake resistance of the buildings. It's perhaps ignorant, but I don't have a problem with NPP's when they are running properly.

    I have a problem with the risk if they do fail. I have a problem with the design of a process that cannot be shut down if it goes out of control. These are very complex systems, that are bound to have multi-mode failures that lead to catastrophe from time to time. We cannot afford the catastrophes.

    I also have a problem with not including the cost of disposing of the waste fuel in the operation of the plant. These companies truly are in the business of taking profits from the customers and foisting losses onto the taxpayers.

    And, most of all, I have a real problem with hiding the truth. If these nuke plants are safe - fine - give everyone the facts about their safety. Give everyone the facts about the failures. Give everyone the facts about radiation. Then let the real debate begin.
    James

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  3. James,

    They can't. The plants are basically part of the military structure of a country, and a large percentage of the public would be opposed if they knew the reality. Thus, the lie must be defended at practically any cost. Just look at how close Fukushima is to Tokyo; the only way to do that is with a huge budget for deception and a tremendous amount of pressure from within the systems of a technical, bureaucratic state.

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