Fukushima Daiichi NPS Prompt Report 2015

Radiation levels at the Fukushima site boundary continue to decline, testing shows, and are expected to fall to the government-required level of 1 mSv/year by the end of March. That level is less than one sixth the average annual exposures of U.S. citizens.

TOKYO, January 23, 2015 - Approximately 50 percent of the accumulated contaminated water at Fukushima Daiichi has now been treated, but the work will extend beyond the original March deadline in order to put safe operations first, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. said today.

The company attributed the slightly longer time frame to the challenges of implementing new technologies to clean the water, and to a "safety first" approach that, at the urging of both domestic and international advisors, places safety and reliability ahead of meeting deadlines. The company reported the matter to the government today. While a new schedule will not be formally announced until March, TEPCO estimates that treatment of the contaminated water will be completed in May, approximately two months later than earlier projections.

Naomi Hirose, TEPCO's President and CEO, praised TEPCO's partners in Japan and the U.S. for their role in enhancing the capabilities of the treatment systems in recent months, and pledged continuing efforts to complete treatment of the stored water. "If we maintain the current pace, the contaminated water treatment work should be completed within the month of May," Hirose said. "But we are committed to making continuous improvements to our treatment capacity and to drive the further reduction of contaminated water risks - while always putting worker safety first."

Dr. Dale Klein, former head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, who chairs TEPCO's Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee, said: "We have emphasized that a key aspect of TEPCO's new safety culture must be a willingness to elevate safety and reliability over arbitrary deadlines. This is especially important when dealing with the new technologies and processes. We know from experience that taking time to prepare will result in many later benefits. Treating the contaminated water is an important part of the overall water management plan for Fukushima Daiichi, but safety and transparency must remain paramount. We do not believe that a few months in achieving treatment goals will have any impact on health, safety or the environment. "

Substantial Progress

Approximately 50 percent of the accumulated contaminated water has been treated, and treatment capacity now greatly exceeds the roughly 300 tons of water a day that becomes contaminated by entering various parts of the facility. After having brought on line several new systems, including a "high-performance" advanced liquid processing system (ALPS), approximately 2,000 tons of water a day can be processed. For more detail of the major initiatives for water management please visit
http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/decommision/planaction/waterprocessing-e.html

This, the company explained, is now allowing it to both keep up with additional water inflows and reduce the backlog of stored contaminated water. While TEPCO initially projected that the backlog could be shortly eliminated, the need to fine-tune the various treatment systems, and ensure safe operation by workers, led to delays. A formal new target date will be set in March, based on the status and capacity of treatment facilities at that time.

Reduced Radiation

The enhancements in water treatment capacity over the past several months have already led to reductions in the level of radiation at the boundary of the Fukushima Daiichi facility. While there are no residents adjacent to the facility, this "site boundary" reading is an important measure of the effectiveness of the various efforts to reduce radiation at the facility. Readings are regularly taken at various locations around the facility, and the results are independently verified and posted on TEPCO's website at http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/decommision/news/data-e.html

It is expected that by the end of March, enough water will have been treated to achieve the government-set target level of 1 mSv/year, which is one sixth of the average U.S. citizen's annual exposure, with still further reductions expected by the completion of stored water treatment.

TEPCO also noted that it is adding various equipments, such as mobile devices for the removal of Strontium, and an adsorption device for Cesium, that will remove the most important nuclides from water on the site.

In the longer term, the various techniques either in use or currently under development to prevent water from becoming contaminated are expected to further reduce radiation levels as well as the demands on water treatment systems. Those techniques include the diversion of groundwater around the facility, and various barriers.

Expert comments

For expert commentary, please contact former U.S. nuclear official Lake Barrett, who oversaw the Three Mile Island cleanup in Pennsylvania after the 1979 accident there and who is now a senior advisor to TEPCO. Mr. Barrett's profile and contact information is available from the website below.
http://lbarrett.com/

About TEPCO

Tokyo Electric Power Company, Inc. (TEPCO) is Japan's largest power company, supplying energy to the greater Kanto area, including Japan's two most populous cities, Tokyo and Yokohama. Its 35,000 employees are committed to providing safe, reliable power to its 29.0 million customers, diversifying energy resources to ensure sustainability, and contributing to economic growth while fully meeting its responsibilities after the Fukushima Daiichi accident.
TEPCO website: http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/index-e.html
TEPCO facebook page: http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/facebook/index-e.html