Japanese Fukushima Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Committee Chair: "30 Years of Ocean Discharge Cannot Solve the Issue"

Japanese Nuclear Society Decommissioning Review Chair Points Out
"Even Conventional Nuclear Power Plants Take 30 Years for Decommissioning"

A Japanese nuclear expert pointed out that the government and Tokyo Electric Power Company's plan to complete the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant by 2051 is realistically impossible. If radioactive contamination continues to leak from hundreds of unrecovered nuclear fuel rods and other nuclear fuel debris, and contaminated water keeps increasing, the nuclear power plant issue could hold back progress for much longer than the 30 years planned by the Japanese government.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 19th, Hiroshi Miyano, Chair of the Decommissioning Review Committee of the Atomic Energy Society of Japan, said in an interview with Asahi Shimbun, "Even for normal nuclear power plants without accidents, decommissioning takes 30 to 40 years when nuclear fuel debris remains in the reactor core," adding, "At Fukushima Daiichi, debris still remains in the core. Completing decommissioning by 2051 is impossible."

Chairman Miyano explained that the essence of decommissioning ultimately depends on how to remove the debris left in the Fukushima accident reactors. According to him, about 880 tons of debris remain in Units 1 to 3 of Fukushima Daiichi. This debris varies, including debris left in the reactor core and forms where fuel and concrete melted and mixed due to high heat at the time.

The problem is that removing this debris from the reactor is extremely difficult. He expressed concern, saying, "When melted fuel and concrete mix, it becomes very hard," and "If concrete is chipped away to remove the debris, radioactive dust can scatter, greatly increasing the risk of radioactive material leaking outside." He added, "First, the upper structures of the reactor must be cut and dismantled. Without dismantling, aging could cause collapse risks."

The government and Tokyo Electric Power plan to experimentally remove a few grams (g) of fuel debris from Unit 2 within this year. The plan is to analyze it at the gram level to determine how much nuclear fuel components are contained inside the reactor concrete. By collecting samples from various locations and investigating, it will be possible to estimate where and how much debris exists.

Even after removing the debris, several risks are expected during the subsequent processing. When the debris is made into a form that can be taken out of the reactor, radioactive wastewater and gases will be generated. Miyano pointed out that discussions about how much of this can be permitted have not yet taken place.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He also addressed the correlation between contaminated water discharge and decommissioning work, stating, "(Discharging contaminated water) does not advance decommissioning because the situation where contaminated water is generated remains unchanged."

Miyano explained, "Contaminated water increases as rainwater and groundwater seep into buildings where debris remains. Unless a prospect for 'zero generation' by sealing gaps in the buildings with water barriers is presented, the problem will continue."

He added, "The contaminated water tanks are connected by pipes. If a strong earthquake breaks the pipes, there is a risk of leakage. I do not think it is good to keep storing water in tanks indefinitely."

Miyano concluded by saying, "Since the site is local, the best way to proceed with decommissioning should be decided from the bottom up."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.