Por cierto trámite que tuve que hacer hace unos días, me sumergí en las profundidades de los archivos que guardaba en mi vieja computadora y que alguna vez pasé a la nube con la idea de que en algún momento algo podría usar, además de las fotografías o la música que podría estar en alguna de esas carpetas. Lo que pensé aquel día no estuvo mal. Recorriendo las carpetas y los archivos, me encontré fotografías y música que bien podría considerar un tesoro. Fotos de hace tiempo, cuando vivía con mi abuela, mi tío y mi madre. Ahora no están ni mi abuela ni mi tío, dos de las dos personas más cercanas a mí; con quienes crecí y conviví durante mi infancia, y mi juventud. Viendo tales foros recordé alguna navidad, habré tenido unos 10 o 12 años. Recuerdo que en un momento de silencio en la casa, pensé lo felices que eran esas celebraciones (normalmente). Anhelando que aquella felicidad durara tanto, elevé una plegaria, rogando por que mi abuela pudiera estar presente en nuestras vidas por muchos años más. Ahora recuerdo aquello, y me diy cuenta lo lúcido de aquella plegaria, pues era mi abuela (igual que mi tío y la familia reunida) lo que conformaba el corazón de aquella felicidad. Así, entre recuerdos, pasé horas. Recordar con nostalgia momentos felices de la vida es también un regalo de la vida. Espero que de ahora en adelante también pueda construir momentos felices. Y también espero tener la capacidad de agradecer cada día por lo que tengo y por la compañía de quienes sinceramente me aprecian.
3 minutes Japan.
As Suga Yoshihide took office as the new Prime Minister of Japan, the new members of his Cabinet were announced. Here are some thoughts about it.
Click the link below to go to the sway presentation.
Japanese nuclear industry highlights 2020.04
- Fukushima NPP decontaminated water liberation. An audience held (Apr.6th) at Fukushima City with local leaders (首長), concerning the liberation of 1.2 million tons of decontaminated water from the Fukushima NPP, which contains radioactive Tritium. The options for liberating this water are the ocean and the atmosphere (no other method is feasible or exists), even using advanced methods like 多核種除去設備（ALPS）. The participant leaders (including Prefectural Fishing organization Head [県漁業協同組合連合会の野崎哲会長], Prefectural Forest and Resources Department Head [県森林組合連合会の秋元公夫会長] and the Head of the Hotel and Ryokan Organization [県旅館ホテル生活衛生同業組合の小井戸英典理事長]) strongly opposed to the liberation of radioactive substances to the atmosphere, claiming that there are no concrete plans to compensate for the bad reputation and other possible damages to their industries that could come from this further release of radioactive substances. The governor of the Prefecture declared that the central government and TEPCO must assume the responsibility for both planning countermeasures for the bad reputation and for spreading correct and reliable information. The preparations for the release would take about 2 years, and the limited capacity for containing the contaminated water will be reached by 2022. Therefore, the limit for taking this decision is this summer.
- [Makeup] of Radiation Levels at Genkai NPP. On April 9th, Kyuden (the Kyushu Electric Company) held a conference to inform the central, prefectural, and local governments that for 38 years (since 1981) the reported numbers concerning the release of tritium to the atmosphere were not correct. The real amount is 1.9 times greater than the reported one. The error was found when the radioactivity released by a burning furnace (of radioactive materials like gloves and suites) was measured. Last December there was a similar problem at Tomari NPP (泊原発), and the authorities of Kyuden confirmed that there was no such problem in their NPP.
The head of the nuclear division (豊嶋直幸・原子力発電本部長) apologized and said that this increased amount had no adverse effects, neither on humans nor on the environment.
- Genkai NPP Antiterrorist Works Stopped. The antiterrorist civil works that are being done on the Genkai NPP were stopped after one worker was confirmed to be infected with COVID19. When the work will be restarted is not clear.
- Retirement of TEPCO holdings (東電HD) Kawamura (川村氏). With troubles to find someone who would take that place.
- Disassembly of the top half of the Fukushima Daiichi R1-2 chimney. The local company 「エイブル」accomplished the disassembly of the first 61 meters (of a total of 120 m) of the chimney after months of work. The job had to be made with special machinery to let the workers keep a safe distance. It is the first element with heavy radiation that is disassembled (April 29th, 2020).
2020.03
Japanese nuclear industry highlights 2020.03
- What to do with the decontaminated water from Fukushima NPP? In an interview to the representative of the company in charge of decommissioning the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors (福島第一廃炉カンパニー), Akira Kono, mentioned that the decision of releasing the decontaminated water (with high content of tritium) will be left to the government due to the social and economical implications, and that the understanding of tritium should be further pursued.
- Corrupted relationship Kanden (関西電力) and Takahama Gov. A third party investigation committee found the beginning of corrupted connection of the city of Takahama and Kansai-electric. This relationship dates to 1985, when reactors 3 and 4 of Takahama NPP began operations. A company that imports wood in Takahama sued Kanden due to the temperature rise of the sea water that provoked pullulation of a beetle that eats wood. To solve this situation, the former vice president of Kanden (内藤千百里（ちもり）) asked a former Takahama City official (森山栄治) to intervene in this situation. The solution was to buy the land (gained from the sea, about 9ha) of the affected company in a sum that doubled the actual price. This investigation is due to the bribery scandal reported last year concerning Kanden and Takahama City officials.
The results of this investigation were published on March 14, and the report confirms and explains the mechanisms through which Moriyama gave money to 75 Kanden employees to favor construction companies (like 吉田開発Co., 柳田産業Co., オーイング, 塩浜工業Co.) related to him with contracts. Since 1987 and for 30 years, he gave briveries to Kanden personal, but the number of persons and amounts increased rapidly after the Fukushima disaster.
- Compensation for victims (Fukushima nuclear disaster). On March 12, the judge Kobayashi, at the high court of Sendai, decided in favor of the plaintiffs (a group of 216 victims) to increase the compensation sum (149 million yens) to add 706 million to be paid by TEPCO. This is the first of about 30 cases in process. This amount represent a large increase compared to what was originally considered by the law of compensation to victims of disasters before 3.11.
- Suspending operations at NPP for unfinished antiterror works. Finally, the 5 year limit came for the first NPP that restarted after 3.11. On March 16th, the Sendai Reactor No. 1 (川内) was turned off for a programed revision but it will not restart, for the 5 year limit to conclude the antiterrorist works came on this month’s 18th day. The idea now is to hurry up with these works to restart the reactor on December, this year. As well, the 5 year time limit will come later this year for other 4 reactors that are operating now.
Sendai R2 – May
Takahama R3 and R4 – August
The energy input of these facilities will be covered by fossil fuel power plants.
- Ikata NPP. Modifications of failure reports. The reports and plan of actions to undertake in order to repair and avoid more failures at Ikata NPP (due to the incidents on January this year [see: https://blog.goo.ne.jp/2ap/e/dfab898a1a7249ff215a374fbfd6663a]) were widely modified. One of the modifications was about the incident on January 12, of a control rod extraction failure. The original report said it was due to oxidation on the tip of the rod in contact with the extraction mechanism, then this explanation was discarded on March 17th. The governor of Ehime Prefecture (中村時広) said that experts of the prefecture will be appointed to strictly inspect the NPP.
- False information from Genkai NPP. The prefecture of Nagasaki reported that the person in charge of monitoring parameters such as the radiation in a 30km range from Genkai NPP has published false information repeatedly and mistreated data.
*All the information presented in this entrance was taken from the electrolic news paper Asahi-Shinbum
2020.02
Japanese nuclear industry highlights 2020.02
① Ikata nuclear power plant (伊方原発) (NPP) problems. it was reported that during the tests (1/25) where the primary energy source was lost, the power supply to the spent fuel pulls was also lost. This loss was for 43 minutes and the pull temperature raised from 33°C to 34.3°C. The specified limit is 65°C. https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASN266W23N26PFIB008.html
Yonden (四電) submitted a formal complain to the Hiroshima Court, that had ordered the full stop of the NPP.
② Rewriting of tests results (Tsuruga () NPP). Recent studies were conducted at the Tsuruga NPP to verify whether there is a geologic fault under it or not. Some key data results of the drilling test (key test) were literally erased and rewritten by Genden （原電） personal, arguing that the results did not match the observations at bare eye that were conducted after the tests. https://www.asahi.com/articles/ASN2G6GZ0N2GULBJ010.html
The regulatory commission asked Genden to hand out the original results of the test and to explain why the results were changed deliberately.
③ Restart of Reactor No.2 of Onnagawa Nuclear Power Plant（女川原発）. The adjustment of this reactor to the new regulations was confirmed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (規制委員会). The plant should be restarted by 2021, after finishing the antiterrorist preparations, if the approval of the local governments is gained. This reactor is a BWR, and it would be the forth reactor of this type to receive permission to restart, but could be the first to actually restart since the other three (東電柏崎刈羽6&7 and 日本夏至力発電東海第二) haven’t obtained green light from local governments.