IAEA update (Fukushima and Onagawa plants)

[deminks]

http://www.iaea.org/press/?p=1173

Japanese authorities have informed the IAEA’s Incident and Emergency Centre (IEC) that venting of the containment of reactor Unit 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant started at 9:20AM local Japan time of 13 March through a controlled release of vapour. The operation is intended to lower pressure inside the reactor containment.

Subsequently, following the failure of the high pressure injection system and other attempts of cooling the plant, injection of water first and sea water afterwards started. The authorities have informed the IAEA that accumulation of hydrogen is possible.

Japanese authorities have also informed the IAEA that the first (i.e., lowest) state of emergency at the Onagawa nuclear power plant has been reported by Tohoku Electric Power Company. The authorities have informed the IAEA that the three reactor units at the Onagawa nuclear power plant are under control.

As defined in Article 10 of Japan’s Act on Special Measures Concerning Nuclear Emergency Preparedness, the alert was declared as a consequence of radioactivity readings exceeding allowed levels in the area surrounding the plant. Japanese authorities are investigating the source of radiation.

(end snip)

Just putting this out there. First mention of Onagawa plant NE of Fukushima. I have seen tweets about speculation that the higher than normal radiation at Onagawa may be fallout from the Fukushima plant (which raises more questions in my simple mind).

[maryf]

1. lots of questions, lots of concerns...

nuclear is toooo dangerous to even consider...

[MH1]

3. 7+ billion people on the planet is also too dangerous to consider

but I think we are going to be stuck with both. For a little while at least.

all those people are gonna want some energy.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. There was a fire at the Onagawa plant on Friday

http://www.iaea.org/press/?p=1104

It's possible that damaged something and led to a release.

[maryf]

4. Japanese Government confirms meltdown

Japanese Government Confirms
Meltdown
Japanʼs Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) said March 12 that the explosion at
the Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 nuclear plant could only have been caused by a meltdown of
the reactor core, Japanese daily Nikkei reported. This statement seemed somewhat at
odds with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edanoʼs comments earlier March 12,
in which he said “the walls of the building containing the reactor were destroyed, meaning
that the metal container encasing the reactor did not explode.”
NISAʼs statement is significant because it is the government agency that reports to the
Agency for Natural Resources and Energy within the Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry. NISA works in conjunction with the Atomic Energy Commission. Its role is to
provide oversight to the industry and is responsible for signing off construction of new
plants, among other things. It has been criticized for approving nuclear plants on
geological fault lines and for an alleged conflict of interest in regulating the nuclear sector.
It was NISA that issued the order for the opening of the valve to release pressure — and
thus allegedly some radiation — from the Fukushima power plant.
NISA has also overseen the entire government response to the nuclear reactor problems
following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. It is difficult to determine at this point
whether the NISA statement is accurate, as the Nikkei report has not been corroborated
by others. It is also not clear from the context whether NISA is stating the conclusions of
an official assessment or simply making a statement. However, the Tokyo Electric Power
Co. (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant, also said that although it had
relieved pressure, nevertheless some nuclear fuel had melted and further action was
necessary to contain the pressure.
If this report is accurate, it would not be the first time statements by NISA and Edano have
diverged. When Edano earlier claimed that radiation levels had fallen at the site after the
depressurization efforts, NISA claimed they had risen due to the release of radioactive
vapors.

Source URL: http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20110312-japanese-government-confirms-meltdown
Links:

[denem]

5. The Japanese Nuclear agency said it was fallout.

Japan Times:

"Meanwhile, radiation at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Miyagi Prefecture shot up from late Saturday through early Sunday, Tohoku Electric Power Co. said, adding that radiation levels were low but about 700 times higher than normal.

The government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said the rise in radiation was likely caused by substances scattered by the hydrogen explosion that hit the troubled Fukushima plant on Saturday, dismissing the possibility that the Miyagi plant was to blame."

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110314a1.htm...

Note the weasel "liked caused" coupled with "dismissing the possibility that the Miyagi plant was to blame"

Both Fukushima and Miyagi are TEPC plants.