Tag Archives: GE

Fukushima

Conflicting data delayed raising the Fukushima Daiichi severity level!

The government of Japan says conflicts between government agencies, not just TEPCo, delayed the raising of the nuclear crisis to the highest level of 7.

‘‘The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan said they could not vouch for the certainty of their estimates, so I told them to make a thorough, reliable analysis as soon as possible.’’-Edano Yukio, Chief Cabinet Secretary

The Fukushima Daiichi disaster would have been raised to level 7 on 23 March.  It turns out that not only was Tokyo Electric Power Company’s data faulty, but two government agencies had limited their radiation readings to just three locations.  On top of that they weren’t even sure their data was correct.  This is what the Japanese taxpayers pay for?

Several times the IAEA, and Greenpeace, said radiation readings at many sites, were too high, and evacuation zones should be expanded.  At one point a Japanese official said the data from Greenpeace would not be considered because Greenpeace was not a reliable source.

Chief Cabinet Secretary, Edano Yukio, indicated that Japan’s current safety standards are not the problem. It’s the enforcement, and lack of implementation of the standards that is the problem.

 

Fukushima

Sony switching to Day Light Savings

Sony has announced that they will start using the dreaded (for some people) Day Light savings, to help save electricity in a Japan now strapped for electrical power.

It’s expected that lack of electrical power will become more of a problem in summer, because that’s when demand normally goes up.  There are several nuclear power plants off line, not just the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Business/Economics, Fukushima

VW was looking to buy Isuzu, rethink after March 11 disasters

Volkswagen has been considering taking over Japan’s Isuzu, in a joint venture with Germany’s truck maker MAN.  They’re a little hesitant after the 11 March 2011 disasters.

VW is also working on a partnership with Suzuki.  The German car maker has cited cultural differences as problems getting into the Japanese market, but now has to consider the damaged ‘just in time’ production practices in Japan, which is causing the current severe parts shortages.

Fukushima

TEPCo Boss resigns from Electric Power Federation!

Tokyo Electric Power Company president, Shimizu Masakatsu, is stepping down from his post as chairman of the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan.  It is a direct result of the crisis at Fukushima Daiichi.

The FEPC is a kind of union, or club, of electrical power companies in Japan. Yagi Makoto, president of Kansai Electric Power Company, will replace Shimizu as chairman of FEPC.

Shimizu said he plans on resigning from one of Japan’s biggest nuke power lobby groups, Nippon Keidanren, as well.

 

Fukushima

Big Aftershocks create more concern for damaged Nuke Plant

“As strong aftershocks occur almost daily, we have to consider what will happen to buildings already damaged by blasts.”-Nishiyama Hidehiko, Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency

Concern for new problems at Fukushima Daiichi, caused by several intense aftershocks, and rising temperatures in Reactor 4 spent fuel pool after a battery storage box caught fire.

Tokyo Electric Power Company says that higher-than-usual levels of radioactive iodine-131, cesium-134 and cesium-137, are coming from Reactor 4 fuel pool.  Reactor 4 was shut down at the time of the tsunami, and all the active fuel rods were in the spent fuel pool.  Inspection of the fuel pool revealed that some rods are damaged, but most are intact.

The Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency wants TEPCo to inspect all buildings for more damage caused by aftershocks.  The concern is that the buildings have been weakened by the 9.0 quake, tsunami and massive hydrogen gas explosions.

 

 

Fukushima

High levels of Cesium in Fish!

Off  the coast of Fukushima, sand lance fish are contaminated with high levels of cesium-137.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare said the latest samples, taken as far away as 37km (22.9 miles) from Fukushima Daiichi, show the fish have 12,500 becquerels per kilogram of cesium!

The safe limit, under Japanese current 2011 Food Sanitation Law, is 500 becquerels.

 

Fukushima, Idaho

French send experts on dismantling Nuke Plants to Japan

The French company Areva SA is increasing the number of nuclear experts they’ve sent to Japan, to help deal with the Fukushima Daiichi crisis.

Areva SA now has 15 technicians in Japan.  Some of the technicians specialize in removing contaminated water, and dismantling nuclear power plants.

France based Areva is also trying to get a uranium enrichment operation built in Idaho, U.S.A.

Fukushima

Radiation in Pacific Ocean continues to increase!

Despite efforts to stop the contaminated water from spilling into the Pacific Ocean, Tokyo Electric Power Company, and the Japanese government, say contamination levels  just off the Fukushima coast are at highest point so far.

Iodine-131 has hit 88.5 becquerels per liter, 30km (18.6 miles) away from Fukushima Daiichi. Cesium-137 levels continue to climb as well, but are still under Japanese safe limits.

 

 

Fukushima

Toyota halts European production

Toyota is suspending production at all its European factories.

Plants in Britain, France, Turkey and Poland will be closed for several days on April 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and May 2.

Toyota also said they have yet to decide what they’ll do after that.  The parts supply problem in Japan does not show signs of lessening.  Toyota might be force to continue with sporadic factory shut downs, with all its plants.

Fukushima

Philippines orders all citizens in Japan to leave!

President Benigno Aquino ordered all Filipinos living within 50km of Fukushima Daiichi, to leave the area.  Any Filipinos living outside the 50 kilometers (31 miles) zone, can voluntarily leave.

The Philippine government said they would pay all the costs of bringing their citizens back to the Philippines. Any Filipinos who want to stay are ordered to move to the southern part of the big island of Honshu.

The order came when it was officially announced that Fukushima Daiichi was a level 7 nuke disaster (the highest level).