9/10/2023 0 Comments Japan backs nuclear time fukushima![]() Following a flooding incident at Blayais Nuclear Power Plant in France in 1999, European countries significantly enhanced their plants’ defenses against extreme external events. More >Īt the time of the accident, critical safety systems in nuclear power plants in some countries, especially in European states, were-as a matter of course-much better protected than in Japan. His areas of expertise are nuclear verification and safeguards, multilateral nuclear trade policy, international nuclear cooperation, and nonproliferation arrangements. Hibbs is a Germany-based nonresident senior fellow in Carnegie’s Nuclear Policy Program. NISA failed to review simulations conducted by TEPCO and to foster the development of appropriate computer modeling tools.Most importantly, preliminary simulations conducted in 2008 that suggested the tsunami risk to the plant had been seriously underestimated were not followed up and were only reported to NISA on March 7, 2011. Computer modeling of the tsunami threat was inadequate.Insufficient attention was paid to evidence of large tsunamis inundating the region surrounding the plant about once every thousand years.The methods used by TEPCO and NISA to assess the risk from tsunamis lagged behind international standards in at least three important respects: The plant would have withstood the tsunami had its design previously been upgraded in accordance with state-of-the-art safety approaches. Had the plant’s owner, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), and Japan’s regulator, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), followed international best practices and standards, it is conceivable that they would have predicted the possibility of the plant being struck by a massive tsunami. The Fukushima accident was, however, preventable. The cleanup operation will take decades and may cost hundreds of billions of dollars. The large quantity of radioactive material released has caused significant human suffering and rendered large stretches of land uninhabitable. Public sentiment in many states has turned against nuclear energy following the March 2011 accident at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Mathews Chair and is co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. It is free.Įach time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. Enter the login for your social media account. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts.What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. the fact that someone can be believed or trusted to take equipment or weapons out of useĬredibility – n. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. The Associated Press reported this story. This aimed to gain credibility with the public and ensure that safety measures meet international requirements. Japan has sought support from the International Atomic Energy Agency during the process. Japanese officials say the treated water will be released into the ocean over many years, making it harmless to people and sea life. In South Korea, fishermen protested the plan Monday in front of the country’s National Assembly in Seoul. Currently though, he admitted the two sides “remain wide apart.” He added, however, that his group supports progress in the plant's decommissioning and hopes to continue negotiations with the government. He told Nishimura that local fishermen still “stand by” their opposition. Tetsu Nozaki is head of a local fishing organization. South Korean fishermen stage a rally against the planned release of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant, in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, June 12, 2023. They say tritium is not considered harmful in small amounts. TEPCO and government officials say tritium – a radioactive form of hydrogen – is the only substance that cannot be removed from the water. This is why the government describes it as “treated” and not “radioactive.” But experts say it is impossible to remove all the radioactivity. The water has already gone through a process designed to remove harmful materials. The disaster forced 160,000 people to flee nearby areas poisoned by radioactive material. Three reactors there suffered meltdowns after a 2011 earthquake and huge ocean waves destroyed the plant’s cooling systems. The water release is necessary to move forward with cleanup efforts at the Fukushima center. Tests began Monday as workers examined processing equipment at the newly-completed seaside pumping center, said Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO). The operator of Japan’s damaged Fukushima nuclear center has begun testing a process to release treated wastewater into the sea.
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