Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami, and Nuclear Reactors

Some news about how compensation from TEPCO is going on:
www.japantoday.com/category/nationa...imants-yet-to-receive-compensation-from-tepco

let's talk, thanks for the link on compensation. That is indeed a difficult problem.

I have had several family issues that had to be attended to since December 15th, when the reactors were declared "under control", and have only recently begun reading the news again. Here are today's items.

I will try to fill in any particularly interesting items from the past couple weeks, as I read back through them.

New Nuclear Regulatory Actions in Japan

In today's news, the Japanese government has decided to draft regulations to define the lifetime of a nuclear plant as 40 years. However, based on a review of the plant, an extension may be granted, or not, at the 40 year point. This sounds similar to what is done in the US by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The draft regulations should be presented to the Diet by the end of January. The new Nuclear Safety Agency is scheduled to be formed in April.

French Increase Security at Nuclear Plants.

The French have decided to increase security at their nuclear plants following December's invasion of a plant by an anti-nuclear organization which wished to prove that the plant could be invaded by terrorists. At the time, the plant guards said that if the campaigners were terrorists, they would have shot them. (In general in our area, the dedicated antinuclear protesters at plants are well known by guards, and I would not be surprised if the French guards recognized the French protesters). I expect that future efforts at invasion will be met with injuries or even deaths.

http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Post_Fukushima_era_begins_for_France_0401121.html

French Response to Fukushima

The French scheduled "stress tests". Some of the results have already come in, and were detailed in a 524 page report to the government. While there are action lists for the 58 reactors and fuel facilities in France, none of the reactors are to be closed, given that all the French reactors, have, according to the French government, excellent safety records.

The report, with any additions by the government, will be presented to the European Union, where it will be peer reviewed by the regulatory groups from other EU countries. They may then be accepted by the European Nuclear Safety Regulators Group (ENSREG) by late June, when the European Commission concludes the project with a summary report to European Council.

Some standardization of European nuclear regulation is hoped for.

Disaster contingency plans, and practice drills for disasters, are being stepped up. The French are not limiting their disaster planning to possible natural disasters, such as those at Fukushima, but are including planning for possible industrial catastrophes at nearby chemical manufacturers, and other industrial facilities. The plan includes a better arrangement for disaster crisis management centers, more attention to diesel backup and water supply.

At the plants themselves, spent fuel pool structures are being strengthened, training of personnel for disasters is continuing, and each plant is being asked for a plan to construct barriers to avoid contamination of ground water in case of an accident.
The French plan strongly resembles the American post Fukushima plan.

British Nuclear Stress Test Results Are In As Well

Here's the report:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/nuclear/fukushima/stress-tests-301211.pdf

Any updates on how things are with Unit 4? It looks like the storage pool is hanging in the balance.

That's an interesting and smart thought on the part of the French, to consider nearby chemical plant crises in its disaster planning. It's also good to know that American planners are keeping those factors in mind.