Fukushima Daiichi NPS Prompt Report 2016

Committee members inspect improvements in water management, radiation reduction, working conditions, and progress in decommissioning.

FUKUSHIMA, Japan, March 29, 2016-TEPCO’s independent board of international advisors, the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee, inspected progress at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station today, including advances in water management, radiation management, and working conditions.

Although each member of the Committee had visited Fukushima Daiichi previously, some on multiple occasions, this was the first time the Committee formally toured the site as a team.

“We have been impressed by what we have seen,” said Committee Chairman Dr. Dale Klein, former chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. “I have visited on a number of occasions before, and each time I see steady progress being made in what we all realize is a very long-term process.”

Deputy Chairman Lady Barbara Judge, chairman emeritus of the U.K. Atomic Energy Agency, said, “The workers here are to be commended for making progress in a challenging environment, and I am particularly glad to see their working conditions so dramatically improved.”

Progress in Several Areas

The Committee was led on the tour by Chief Decommissioning Officer Naohiro Masuda. It inspected a variety of facilities and reviewed various improvements, including:

 ・The new large rest house for workers
 ・The seismically isolated management building
 ・Various aspects of water management, including the dismantling of the flanged storage tanks that have been replaced by more secure welded tanks
 ・The new incineration facility for solid waste management
 ・The drainage K channel, which has  been recently redirected to the port area
 ・The ground paving that has been done to suppress radiation

During their visit to the seismically isolated building, the Committee members met and spoke with some of the workers at Fukushima, expressing their appreciation and offering encouragement.
The Committee members who participated in the tour were:

 ・Dr. Klein, Chairman
 ・Lady Judge, Deputy Chairman
 ・Masafumi Sakurai, Member

The Committee did not hold a formal meeting during its inspection. Its next meeting will probably be scheduled during the first quarter of TEPCO’s 2016 fiscal year (April-June), and on the agenda will be a review of the company’s self-evaluation of its progress in implementing the Nuclear Safety Reform Plan. That plan, adopted three years ago, established the Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee to oversee its implementation, and the committee has been receiving quarterly progress reports.

Photos on this inspection
http://photo.tepco.co.jp/en/date/2016/201603-e/160329-01e.html

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 34,000 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.
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