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Oi Restarts Fuels By Political Rivalries

May 17th, 2012 | Add a Comment

[Translate] A recent Japan Times story highlights the political strategies and tactics under the surface of the Oi reactor restarts. Kansai Electric and the government claims of power shortages may have more to do with trying to hammer the emerging political party in Osaka than actual energy policy. The new party lead by Osaka mayor Hashimoto has sweeping ambitions to take over seats in the national Diet. Restarts and threats of blackouts may have more to do with political tactics then actual energy needs. Read the entire thing here at Japan Times. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120516x3.html All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. If you wish to reuse any of our content please contact us first to obtain permission. … Read entire article »

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NISA Finds New Quake Risk Concerns At Oi & Tsuruga

[Translate] NISA has discovered that part of the slope near the Oi reactors could collapse in an earthquake. KEPCO says they will remove some of the soil in 2014. NISA intends to hold an expert meeting to discuss the issue. A landslide could drastically complicate an earthquake caused disaster at the plant. English translation of the original article at the end of the page. NISA will also begin a six month inspection to determine if faults under the Tsuruga nuclear plant are active. There are concerns that faults under the plant could move with a nearby known active fault. “Japan has regulations against building a nuclear plant on top of an active fault that has moved within the … Read entire article »

TEPCO To Do Gamma Surveys Inside Units 1-3

[Translate] Denki Shimbun has reported that TEPCO will do robotic gamma camera surveys inside units 1-3. The survey has already begun and will look for radiation concentrations and possible containment leaks. All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. If you wish to reuse any of our content please contact us first to obtain permission. View our copyright page for more information about permissible use. If you are viewing this content on any website other than www.simplyinfo.org it is likely being plagiarized, please let us know. Share this:FacebookEmailPrint … Read entire article »

Japan Radiation Readings Taken By Train

[Translate] These radiation readings taken by train recently showed up on Twitter. It wasn’t immediately clear who is doing the work but it appears to be highly detailed survey work with considerable documentation. The map can be seen here and the spreadsheet here. A couple of things found interesting on the map, one that dose rate goes up again north of Sendai and also that there is a notable radiation dose rate around Tokyo  that suddenly drops off toward the west side of the city. All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. If you wish to reuse any of our … Read entire article »

California May Face Summer Power Shortages Due To San Onofre

[Translate] With San Onofre nuclear plant still down due to steam generator problems, the power supply in California is struggling to keep up. CAISO is predicting about 46,352 MW during summer 2012 will be available. The actual peak of 2011 was 45,429 MW. This leaves a very tight power supply. California plans to do a couple of things to lower demand:  Calling back into service Huntington Beach Power Plant units previously slated for retirement. This not only adds 452 megawatts (MW) of capacity in the LA Basin, but it also enables 350 MW of additional imported power to transfer into San Diego.  Accelerating completion of Barre-Ellis & Sunrise Powerlink transmission projects.  Re-activating the 20/20 demand reduction program and Flex Alert … Read entire article »

Reactor Restarts Come Down To Money

[Translate] The local assembly of Oi town has voted to approve the restart of the Oi reactors. The assembly cited economic concerns such as employment. The $32 million in annual subsidies the city is given from Kansai electric is probably a considerable part of the decision. Some have described the subsidies as like a drug that causes the local municipality to become both dependent and complacent about fostering the economy independent of the power companies. This approval to restart the reactors is not shared by the other nearby towns. Eight of the eleven nearby towns do not want the reactors restarted. The power companies in Japan are heavily invested in nuclear. The plan to reform TEPCO hinges on … Read entire article »

Fukushima Decontamination May Be Paid For By People Of Japan

[Translate] The current plan as expressed by minister Edano. Decontamination will be billed to TEPCO, TEPCO asks for money from the national government. The national government will then determine how to come up with this money likely through tax increases. This seems to be already the situation with most costs. TEPCO is largely out of money and borrowing from the national government. The national government obtains their funds through taxes. In the event of a nuclear disaster in the US, the Price-Anderson Act covers the first 12.6 billion dollars, the rest is the responsibility of the US government, aka: the US taxpayer. All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or … Read entire article »

Japan Nuclear Disaster Inspires ChimPom

[Translate] Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert has a photo collection of the art collective Chimpom’s new exhibit ‘Turning Around’ at the Watarium Art Gallery in Tokyo, Japan. The group has been behind a number of well known art actions including the pointing man seen on camera at Fukushima Daiichi and their addition to the painting “Myth of Tomorrow” at the Shibuya train station. (ChimPom on the train station exhibit) Images from the new exhibit can be found on Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert’s website. ChimPom http://chimpom.jp Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert http://jeremysuttonhibbert.photoshelter.com/ All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. If you wish to reuse any of our content please contact us first to obtain … Read entire article »

SimplyInfo Releases Japan Travel Guidelines

[Translate] SimplyInfo.org has released their Japan Travel Guidelines. The guidelines include information to assist travelers in determining and understanding the potential radiation levels at a location within Japan. It also explains the risk factors for certain populations and some common sense safety steps people can use to lower their risk while in Japan. While many parts of Japan have very low or no additional radiation since the accident, some areas may require some minor cautionary steps for at risk populations. The guidelines also include some tips for safe food consumption. The lack of clear information has given many travelers apprehension. We hope our guidelines will allow people to educate themselves and reduce some of the anxiety about visiting … Read entire article »

NRC Whistleblowers Show Conflicts In Agency, Ft. Calhoun

[Translate] A letter sent by NRC employees in the Arlington, TX office blasting Troy Pruett, a regional deputy director at NRC is raising more worries about reactor safety. Employees at the regional offices in Texas claimed that Pruett undermined their efforts to report safety issues at plants and retaliated if employees would not downplay found issues. The whistle blowing employees are asking for an independent non-governmental company to come in an investigate, claiming the inspector general defers back to NRC management for problem resolution.  One incident specifically cited in the fire last year at Ft. Calhoun station. Pruett pressured employees to downplay the issue and to not give a “red” finding. The revelations at the NRC’s regional offices … Read entire article »

Iowa Pre-Paid Nuclear Bill Runs Out Of Time In State Legislature

[Translate] The Iowa legislature has adjourned without passing a controversial bill that would “pre-pay” for a possible nuclear power plant. Iowa rate payers would have been required to pay an extra fee on their utility bill to give Mid American energy money they could use to potentially build a new nuclear power plant. If the plant was never built Mid American would just keep all the money. As expected the bill was extremely unpopular with Iowans who opposed it by more than 3/4 of those polled recently. Opposition included a rare mash up of environmental groups and AARP who opposed the bill on the grounds it would be a burden on senior citizens already trying to stretch … Read entire article »

GAO Slams US Nuclear Decommissioning Fund & NRC

[Translate] The US Government Accountability Office has slammed the NRC and the reactor decommissioning fund claiming the fund is inadequate as is the NRC oversight. Citing that the majority of the funds do not have enough money to cover real decommissioning costs, some with only 57% of the needed money in the fund. GAO also cited a number of NRC rules and procedures that allowed power companies to not have to prove proper funding and left vague metrics to be followed. The NRC also failed to establish a method to assure power companies are not investing their funds into mutual funds or other investments heavily invested in the nuclear industry. Decommissioning funds are also at risk to the … Read entire article »

Smartphone Geiger App? SimplyInfo.org Reviews It

[Translate] There have been quite a few “radiation detection” applications for smart phones that have come out. These claim to turn your smartphone into a radiation detection device without the need for any additional hardware. We looked at one app claiming to be able to detect gamma rays via your smartphone camera. The issue of newer technology and radiation detection gets a bit complicated. There are devices that can plug into a smartphone. These involve some form of actual radiation detection device that uses the phone to visualize and process the data coming out of the plug in device. There have been a number of DIY plug in radiation detectors coming out of various hacker and DIY … Read entire article »

Elevated Risk Of Tornadoes In Japan Until May 10

[Translate] Yokosonews is reporting an elevated risk of tornadoes in Japan until May 10th. JMA says a rare case of cold air from Siberia is causing the unstable conditions making tornadoes more likely. They are normally a rare occurrence in Japan. Japan Times explains more about how tornadoes can be formed in Japan. Much of the equipment at Daiichi is on trucks or out in the open without heavy shelter. All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. If you wish to reuse any of our content please contact us first to obtain permission. View our copyright page for more information about permissible … Read entire article »

17 Year Old Boy Working At Daiichi Month After Disaster

[Translate] A 17 year old boy was found working for Kajima Corp. at Fukushima Daiichi in April of 2011. His dose was 1.92 mSv for his work cutting holes in turbine buildings. Workers in Japan must be 18 and normally a drivers license is required as proof of identification to work at the plant. There are still many workers from the early months of the disaster that can not be found. http://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20120508/k10014981511000.html http://www.jiji.com/jc/eqa?g=eqa&k=2012050800935 http://enformable.com/2012/05/tepco-admits-at-least-one-underage-subcontractor-worked-at-fukushima-daiichi-in-april-2011/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. If you wish to reuse any of our content please contact us first to obtain permission. View our copyright page for more … Read entire article »

Hot Spots In 26 Koriyama Schools, 60 km From Daiichi

[Translate] At least 26 schools in Koriyama City, 60km from the nuclear plant site have hot spots. The readings were more than 3.8 microsieverts per hour, giving an annual exposure of over 20 millisieverts. The annual limit in Japan for children is 1 millisievert. The evacuation level used in the region around Chernobyl is .5 microsieverts. .23 microsieverts is what the Japanese government considers safe. More on Koriyama http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%8Driyama,_Fukushima All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. If you wish to reuse any of our content please contact us first to obtain permission. View our copyright page for more information about permissible … Read entire article »

Reactor Restarts Still Looming Over Japan

[Translate] The Fukui Assembly will meet Wednesday to hold a briefing on the restart of the Oi reactors. The assembly will convey their opinion to the governor. Kyodo said back in April that they will also consult with the towns residents. Power supplies in Japan are looking to be better than the predictions given earlier by power companies. Kansai region and the city of Osaka could be more likely to experience shortages. The new review claims Japan could actually have a small power surplus in August rather than a shortage. Kansai could have shortages still under the new estimates. These predictions were based on an unusually hot summer meaning things could be much better if the summer … Read entire article »

Atomic Age Symposium – Photos

[Translate] Images from the Atomic Age Symposium are up on our group Flickr account. All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. If you wish to reuse any of our content please contact us first to obtain permission. View our copyright page for more information about permissible use. If you are viewing this content on any website other than www.simplyinfo.org it is likely being plagiarized, please let us know. Share this:FacebookEmailPrint … Read entire article »

Large Area Of Fukushima Will Still Be Up To 50 mSv/yr In 2022

[Translate] A large portion of Fukushima could remain as high as 50 mSv/yr into 2022. A report from the government in late April showed estimated levels for 2022 and 2032. The levels in 2022 show a large area in yellow that is estimated to be 20-50 mSv/yr with much of it stretching into the additional evacuation zone. Levels in many areas appear to be a problem for decades, further complicating the ability to return. All content is copyright SimplyInfo.org. Content may also be copyright of other specific original authors or creators and was reproduced here with limited permission. If you wish to reuse any of our content please contact us first to obtain permission. View our copyright page … Read entire article »

ZERO

[Translate] The last operating reactor in Japan has shut down. Hokkaido Electric Power, which runs the plant, said they started inserting control rods at 5pm that would halt the chain reaction and bring the reactor to “cold shutdown” sometime on Monday. The Tomari unit 3 reactor owned by Hokkaido Electric was to go into shutdown Saturday May 5th leaving no reactors operating in Japan.  The national government and the nuclear power industry have been claiming the lack of nuclear power will cause blackouts and shortages as summer approaches. Meanwhile other estimates show Japan may have enough power in all regions to cover the normal need including spikes caused by heat waves. With all reactors in Japan shut down and … Read entire article »

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