Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Japan, Unable to Decommission Fukushima, Pursues Dangerous Reactor Re-Starts




Court refuses to block restart of Sendai reactors. (2015, April 21). NHK, http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20150422_19.html

A Japanese court has dismissed a request to block the restart of 2 nuclear reactors in southwestern Japan.
A group of citizens had sought an injunction to keep the Number 1 and 2 reactors at a nuclear plant in Satsuma-Sendai City in Kagoshima Prefecture offline.

The 12 citizens from Kagoshima and 2 neighboring prefectures argued that earthquakes and large volcano eruptions could cause serious damage to the reactors.

The plant's operator, Kyushu Electric Power Company, argued that the 2 reactors are strong enough to withstand earthquakes. The utility also said chances of a huge volcano eruption are slim.

Yoichiro Tateiwa (2015, March 31) Decommissioning Chief Opens up. NHK, http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/nuclearwatch/20150331.html
Naohiro Masuda is in charge of the entire decommissioning process at Fukushima Daiichi. And he brings valuable experience to the job...
[regarding decommissioning] "It's a very big challenge. Honestly speaking, I cannot say it's possible but I also do not wish to say it's impossible."

I also asked Masuda what he needs most for the operation to succeed.

"That's hard to say, but probably experience. How much radiation exposure can people tolerate? What kind of information do residents in the area need? There is no text book to teach us what to do. I have to make decisions every step of the way. And I must be honest with you... I cannot promise that I will always make the right decision."

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