Tout va bien

January 29, 2018

Work starts for industrial site near Daiichi plant

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180129_01/

Work has begun near the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to prepare an area for a new industrial site.

A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Sunday in Futaba Town, Fukushima Prefecture, where the disabled plant is located.

Speaking at Sunday's ceremony, Futaba Mayor Shiro Izawa said reconstruction work has finally started in the town.

He expressed hope that the site would facilitate the town's recovery and the decommissioning work of the reactors.

The town's first new industrial site since the accident will be built in its northeastern district.

The district's relatively low level of radioactive contamination is paving the way for the early resettlement of residents and the resumption of business activities.

All residents of the town were ordered to evacuate soon after a major earthquake and tsunami in 2011 that destroyed the plant's nuclear reactors.

The municipality has allocated about 50 hectares for the project. The aim is to make the district partially usable later this year.

Reconstruction Minister Masayoshi Yoshino said that along with this project, his ministry plans to decontaminate housing sites so that residents can return.

The municipal office says it intends to lease part of the industrial site to companies taking part in the decommissioning of the reactors.

The officials say they also plan to set up prefectural archives to preserve records of the 2011 disaster and nuclear accidents. They also plan to build an industrial exchange center where workers can hold meetings and have meals.