Underground tanks no good, says Motegi.[But are the others safe?]

April 10, 2013

Underground tanks should not be used at Fukushima plant: Motegi

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130410p2g00m0dm065000c.html

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo Electric Power Co. should eventually stop using underground tanks to store radioactive water accumulating at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Wednesday.

The remarks were made as three of the seven underground tanks have been found to be leaking polluted water, leading TEPCO to consider transferring some of the liquid to more reliable tanks.

The utility known as TEPCO has said that it cannot opt to empty all the underground cisterns currently in use because there is not enough alternative storage capacity on the site now. TEPCO plans to install tanks with 15,000 tons of capacity by mid-April.

Motegi told a parliamentary committee that the contaminated water will be "swiftly" moved to tanks located above ground and "after that, underground cisterns should not be used."

The situation regarding radioactive water leaks has been worsening since TEPCO first announced it earlier this month, with the number of underground cisterns found with problems increasing.

There is speculation there may have been some flaws in the construction process of the containers, all seven which were built by Maeda Corp.

TEPCO also said Wednesday that it confirmed a small amount of radioactive substances outside the water-containment sheets laid between the No. 1 tank, the latest container found with leaks, and the soil.

To enhance oversight at the plant, which has also recently seen the suspension of its cooling system for spent fuel pools, the Nuclear Regulation Authority said it has decided to increase the number of inspectors at the plant from eight to nine.

At the Fukushima plant, a massive amount of radioactive water is accumulating as a result of continuing water injections into the Nos. 1 to 3 reactors, which experienced meltdowns during the March 2011 nuclear crisis.

Water once used to cool the damaged reactors is recycled as coolant after radioactive cesium and other substances in a water-processing facility have been removed. But the total amount of contaminated water is increasing because the existing water flow allows an influx of about 400 tons of groundwater a day.

NRA Chairman Shunichi Tanaka said during a meeting of regulatory commissioners Wednesday that TEPCO needs to remake its long-term plan on the handling of radioactive water

.

"What is most important is to take measures so that the situation outside the plant's premises will not be affected," Tanaka said.

Motegi halts use of underground Fukushima pools

Industry Minister Toshimitsu Motegi says he plans to have the operator of the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant halt the use of underground pools that have leaked large amounts of contaminated water. He says contaminated water in the leaked pools will be quickly transferred to steel tanks above ground.

Motegi was speaking at a Lower House committee session on Wednesday. He expressed regret over Tokyo Electric Power Company's slow response to the problem.

The minister said he will instruct TEPCO to accelerate the construction of additional above-ground storage tanks and complete them by the end of May. The new tanks are to accommodate contaminated water from the underground pools.