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WORKERS AT JAPAN’S Fukushima nuclear plant today began moving fuel rods from a reactor building, in their most difficult and dangerous task since a tsunami crippled the facility in 2011.
Operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) said it had begun the process of removing the uranium and plutonium rods from a storage pool — a tricky but essential step in the complex’s decades-long decommissioning plan.
The operation follows months of setbacks and glitches that have stoked widespread criticism of the utility’s handling of the crisis, the worst nuclear accident in a generation.
The work pales in comparison with the much more complex task that awaits engineers, who will have to remove the misshapen cores of three other reactors that went into meltdown before being brought under control two years ago.
The fuel rods are bundled together in so-called assemblies which must be pulled out of the storage pool where they were being kept when a tsunami smashed into Fukushima in March 2011. There are more than 1,500 such assemblies in the pool.
Unit 1 and 2 reactor buildings at Fukushima. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye/File)
Over the course of two days, the company said it expects to remove 22 assemblies, with the entire operation scheduled to run for more than a year.
“At 15:18 (06:18 GMT), we started to pull up the first fuel assembly with a crane,” a company spokesman said today.
The huge crane, with a remote-controlled grabber, is being lowered into the pool and then hooked onto the assemblies, placing them inside a fully immersed cask.
The 91-tonne cask will then be hauled from the pool to be loaded onto a trailer and taken to a different storage pool about 100 metres away.
Caution
Experts have warned that slip-ups could trigger a rapid deterioration in the situation. Even minor mishaps will create considerable delays in the already long and complicated decommissioning.
While such operations are routine at other nuclear plants, the disaster has made conditions far more complex, TEPCO has said.
(AP Photo/David Guttenfelder/Pool)
“This is an important process that is an inevitable part of the decommissioning process, but it includes work that could pose a great risk,” the Citizen’s Nuclear Information Center, an independent energy think tank, said in a statement.
“We expect TEPCO and the Nuclear Regulation Authority to work with vigilance… and we demand disclosure of information” about the work, it added.
Hiroaki Koide, assistant professor at Kyoto University’s Research Reactor Institute, said the timing of the fuel rod removal was crucial as “the reactor’s storage pool is in an unstable condition”.
Koide added that the whole decommissioning process would involve tasks that pose “unprecedented challenges”.
Setbacks
A worker measures water levels at Fukushima (Tokyo Electric Power Co/File photo)
Work at the plant has suffered months of setbacks including multiple leaks from tanks storing radioactive water, and a power outage caused when a rat electrocuted itself on a circuit board.
TEPCO’s management of the problems has been criticised as haphazard and uncoordinated, with one government minister saying it was like watching someone playing “whack-a-mole”.
The full decommissioning of Fukushima is likely to take decades and include tasks that have never been attempted anywhere in the world.
Villages and towns nearby remain largely empty. Fear of radiation makes residents unable or unwilling to return to live in the shadow of the leaking plant.
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If the SocDems go anywhere near labour they will lose my vote. Labour are toxic and no longer represent the working classes. Burton and Kelly need to go.
Kelly defo especially with the Brother waiting in the wings for the go ahead for IW.
I’m with you P Quinn. Voted SD last election in the hope they’d offer something different. After the way Shortall was shafted by the party, and Murphy’s findings were arrogantly dimissed, I’d be very disappointed if the SDs went anywhere near them
And Howlin
Exactly what I did. Totally agree Anne and P quinn
Agree it would be a political disaster. Though in contrast think Burton would struggle doing a deal with a plank anyway..
I would be very disappointed if the soc dems went anywhere near labour…particularly how labour behaved in power..
Poor ol’ I.Q. 47 got off his tits on the stuff. I want to put my hand in his shoulder, talk to him, document the whole thing and make a comedy sitcom out of it.
Agree big time. Labour are a far right party.. taking money out of the hands of disabled people and single working mothers. American republican party would probably think that a step too far…
Is this the social democrats and Catherine Murphy that Joan hadn’t much time for during the siteserv shenaghins…. Wouldn’t vote for enda today now wants to join up for speaking rights… Ooh how labour have fallen… Not so important now are you…
This morning, both caretaker taoiseach enda Kenny and caretaker tanaiste Joan Burton along with caretaker cabinet ministers including labour ministers were sitting around the cabinet table. Only in Feb Joan was telling us all to vote for labour and fg and this afternoon the caretaker tanaiste and her labour pals wouldn’t vote for enda Kenny… ….
In other news Joan and the other 6 labour TDs decided to vote for another 8 days holidays along with ff and fg. While everyone else voted against…
Every TD from Sinn Féin, AAA-PBP, the Social Democrats, the Green Party and almost all Independents – 56 in total – voted against delaying Dáil debate until 14 April.
Every TD from Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil and Labour – 100 in total – voted to wait until next Thursday to meet again.
If the SDs have any sense and if the greens have learned from the past they’ll stay away from Joan.
Come into my parlour said spider to the fly…
Simple but true Tony
I hope to swim the Atlantic… by Friday. Don’t see it happening though.
Lol Rusty Balls…..I don’t see why not. Sure if Joan actually thinks she is entitled to be in government I would IMAGINE that your dream could come true too.
@Mary I can’t swim, I figured I could sell sponsorship and make some guarantees. If I take a leaf out of Joan’s book it’s ok to make empty guarantees, there’s good money in it.
And a bit of Joan’s imagination too Rusty.
social dems will have a short lived political life if they get into bed with joan brutal and labour
Couldn’t agree more and I hope they realize that
Couldn’t care less what the greens do but the SD would be mad to even talk to Labour.
Why? They will be broadly irrelevant in the new Dail as three deputies without official status fighting it out with the likes of Jackie Healy Rae for speaking time. Labour has guaranteed speaking time as a party of seven deputies on every debate. The Greens with two and the SDs with three will be heard from every few days at most if they are lucky. This way they could probably be heard from on most debates. Put aside your dislike of Labour and think about what sort of politics you want to achieve and issues you want advanced. Labour, SDs and Greens have very similar platforms. Of course they disagree on issues, but they agree on more than they disagree. It makes sense to cooperate
The woman is delusional.
joan brutals desperation is palpable ,, she led her party to oblivion & now wants to tempt others
down the her road,,, shameless woman leads a shameless party,, snap election and god willing
labour shall be no more
DJ which woman is delusional?
Wow! Labour abstaining from voting FG for the first time in over 5 years. You guys are really living up to your ‘frankfurts way or labours way’!
She wouldnt vote for FG/Kenny in the Dail today, yet 2 months ago she was telling us all to vote for them!!
Bang on Nigel she was going on about how her and edna would be forming a new govt. This just shows how what contempt she has for the electorate.
Why Nigel that’s true. I forgot she wished us all to follow her dream
She makes me sick, the sack of excrement!! Apologies for the language.
Stick it up your jacksie Joan!!
Probably looking for someone to share the €212,625 per annum rent in their plush new offices on the top floor of the Bloodstone building at Sir John Rogerson’s Quay.
No morals Iphoney…
Why would the SocDems or the Greens want to join forces with a dying party?
Nightmare just won’t go away!!
Joan Burton when you were in opposition i thought you were the greatest woman since i don’t know when you wanted so much for the Irish people. All that changed when you got in a yes woman nothing but try to please Enda , not a true Labour Woman.
Pity she didn’t come up with that suggestion 5 years ago ..
Jog on joany, you’re as wanted as a fart in a spacesuit
Labour is a sinking ship. The SDs would be mad to go near them. Part of the SDs success has been due to attracting ex-labour voters. It would destroy them to do any sort of deal with radioactive labour.
Jesus this woman is throughly off her trolley.
you go to bed with a dog you often wake up with fleas. i have no time whatsoever for the greens but the social democrats should stay clear of providing this shower any sense of credibility. they stabbed their core electorate in the back and that will not be forgotten anytime soon.
Fairly stupid from Ms Burton there. Does she not realise the SDs were borne from the failings of her party going against its core values?
Hopefully the SDs have the bigger picture in mind and steer clear.
She never apologised for attempting to decimate disability allowance by up to €88 per week in the 2012 budget. She backed FG all the way with stringent cutbacks affecting the lower paid and vulnerable in society, that on top of water rates and household charges. Now she’s grasping to find any way possible to regain power. Arrogance.
The only party to benefit would be Labour. Too toxic to touch. Avoid
If the SocDems go anywhere near Liebour not only will they lose any future vote from me but I’ll look into taking back the one I gave them last time
Labour are totally toxic and SD would be crazy to even think about it, as for the greens they may join them as Eamon Ryan is desperate to open his mouth and spew garbage. Similar to the dodgy lights bulbs he was extolling.
Joan Burton when you were in opposition i thought you were the greatest woman since i don’t know when you wanted so much for the Irish people. All that changed when you got in a yes woman nothing but on your knees to Enda , not a true Labour Woman.
And stop copying my hair style!
And your voice Chewy…
If the SD’s have any respect for the people who voted for them and wish to grow as a party then they will stay clear of Labour
Not many people voted for them in all fairness.
She and her Colleagues need to resign this evening as the voted against her government as abstaining is a vote of no confidence in FG
Bert
If that should happen i will never vote for Roisin Shortall again
Not sure if the SocDems or Greens need a waffle machine.
She is off her rocker! If the soc dems joined up I for one won’t ever vote for them again and would encourage anybody that listens to do the same
I am a member of and a early substantial personaldonor to the Social Democrats. If the Social Democrats ally with Labour, I will resign from the Social Democrats. I abandoned Labour for its gross betrayals. I want nothing to do with that contemptible party. Others in Social Democrats may not feel the same way but I supported the Social Democrats for sincerity and principle. I will not remain if it throws in its lot with traitors.
Not her again! Sick of looking at her!!!!
Joan is like Captain Smith of Titanic, she has eventually gained some insight when the ship she steered is destined for the bottom of the oacen.We all learn from hindsight, but Joan sadly lacks insight.
F@€k off back to obscurity, Joanie. Nobody want to hear you.
Nooooooooo
Can’t imagine Joan doing anything with the SD’s. Its silly. Why would the SD’s wanna hang out with joan? They’re like chalk and cheese. They’re different class. Donnelly knows what he’s talking about, Joan has proven she doesn’t have a clue.
Imagine a media event with Donnelly and Joan, Donnelly can talk about complex economic issues, all you’ll get from Joan is “Can I just say, bad Sinn Fein blah blah blah….”.
Can’t see how anything can come of this. The Social Democrats are a party on the rise, Labour are a residue of a Party on the way out.
Besides, the SD’s all have Iphones…
Who else is Joan Brutal going to sell her soul to next?
The Troika Strip Club, a club where the Troika strips the assets of E.U. countries for their pals lol.
Greens and Labour suit each other, two parties that sold their souls but for the SD’s it would political suicide, although it wouldn’t surprise me.
What would that deal be for now, just to keep shouting across the floor. I’d say she needs to do a deal with the Labour Party.
The SD’s need to steer clear of any alliance with this moribund and toxic party. Labour has to go away and completely reform itself…( as in DUMP Burton Howlin and Kelly) then maybe SD’s would accept THEM.
Did anybody find Joan ”Frankfurter” Burtons conscience?
It’s offshore.
She left it with her heart in old San Francisco or is that San Frankfurt lol.
Good idea could only be positive.
Labour looking for friends, no one wants them only fg,they are toxic,insignificant
The people of the country have voted for labour and the green party to not exist. I am sure very few people want them to become one. They are all just power mad and looking for thier big salaries and pensions.
Joan will do nothing. Firstly she won’t be the leader of the Labour party and secondly she won’t regain her seat after the next election this year.
Finally, a Social Democratic and Labour Party for the south
The grand coalition of FFG ,( if it happens )can only help parties like the SD’s and the Green’s. Sadly and I do mean it , the Irish labour party have lost their way. They have betrayed everything they are supposed to stand for . The fact the the worst of them survived is kinda surprising but even being associated with them at this stage would damage you. The Greens/SD’s have 5 combined, there are even a couple of independents I could see joining the SD’s . Just stay as far away from Joan and Alan as they can.
If some thing like Liebour is toxic ,it would be wise to give it a wide berth ,At the moment Joney/Moany and her 6 comrades are like nuclear waste ,any party that comes in contact would be regarded as toxic too
So, Joan do you think either of those parties want to be associated with the business of cancelling discretionary medical cards for children with life threatening diseases in hospital, or torturing their very ordinary working class parents driven mental trying to pay for their children’s treatment?……get a life Joan and dump Alex White who defended this policy…..meanwhile find a rock and crawl under it.
Here is how I see this panning out if it goes ahead. Labour, Greens and Democrats form an alliance with Joan as leader. Joan goes and has a lovely meeting with Enda. Deal is made. New government is formed of FG + Labour Alliance.
Labour must die out soon. It’s controlled by cynical geriatrics – they can’t go on for ever…..or is there a Transylvanian connection??
And pigs can fly…
Ohh yea Joan…
Oh Yeah Joan…
They might if she steps down, after the last election results she might be seen as the poison chalice to any politician or party that might want to do that?
After that election result she will have to go as leader if Labour has any hope for the future in my view.
Huuuuh
Mm
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