Reflecting on the three years after 3/11

Reflecting on the three years after 3/11 Wim C. Turkenburg Copernicus Institute - Utrecht University - The Netherlands w.c.turkenburg@uu.nl Symposium Hope Step Japan, Amsterdam 8 March 2014 Copernicus Institute 1

Contents of this presentation Some remarks on: 1. Earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear melt downs at 3/11. 2. Emissions of radioactive materials by Fukushima Daiichi. 3. Deposits of radioactive materials in the neighborhood. 4. Decontamination of Fukushima areas. 5. Fukushima and ocean radioactivity. 6. Treatment and storage of high level radioactive water. 7. Contamination of groundwater at the plant. 8. Leakage of radioactive groundwater to the ocean. 9. Activities and technologies to minimize leakage into the ocean. 10. Leakage of radioactive wastewater from storage tanks. 11. Removal of spent fuel from spent fuel pool reactor 4. 12. Rough estimates of costs and of health effects of the nuclear disaster. 13. Backgrounds of disaster: nuclear crisis man-made. 14. Backgrounds of disaster: biased by a safety myth. 15. Present policy on power production in Japan. 2

(2008) An aerial-view of the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima Daiichi, Japan 5 6 4 3 2 1 Zuma Press 3

The Accident Quick Progression after Earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, 2011 Estimates of NISA and TEPCO of the length of time that passed after the earthquake until (i) fuel became exposed, (ii) fuel started to melt, and (iii) molten fuel started to damage the reactor pressure vessels Fuel Assemblies Exposed (h) Fuel Assemblies Damaged (h) Reactor Pressure Vessel Damaged (h) Unit 1 NISA 2 3 5 TEPCO 3 4 15 Unit 2 NISA 75 77 80 TEPCO 75 77 109 Unit 3 NISA 41 44 79 TEPCO 40 42 66 Source: (1) The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC), Update to Information Sheet Regarding the Tohoku Earthquake, June 10, 2011; (2) J.M. Acton and M. Hibbs, Why Fukushima was Preventable, The Carnegie Papers, March 2012. 4

Measurement by monitoring car of dose rates (μsv/h) at Fukushima Daiichi in the period March 11 till 24, 2011 Source: Additional Report of the Japanese Government to the IAEA, September 2011 5

(28 August 2011) NISA: Radioactive emission Fukushima about 1/6 of Chernobyl The amount of radioactive cesium ejected by the Fukushima reactor meltdowns is about 168 times higher than that emitted in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the government's nuclear watchdog NISA said Friday. NISA said Friday that the crippled Fukushima No. 1 plant has released 15,000 tera-becquerels of cesium-137, which is about 168 times higher than that emitted in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima NISA has said the radiation released at Fukushima was about one-sixth of that released during the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Source: The Japan Times, August 28, 2011 (29 October 2011) But another study suggests: emission about 2/5 of Chernobyl The Fukushima nuclear accident released double the amount of cesium-137 into the atmosphere than the government initially estimated, reaching 40 percent of the total emitted during the Chernobyl disaster, a preliminary report said. The new estimate comes from a worldwide network of sensors. Report co-author Andreas Stohl, of the Norwegian Inst. for Air Research, said the government estimate didn't include emissions blown out to the Ocean. Source: The Japan Times, October 29, 2011 6

Copernicus Institute (May 2011) Cumulative deposits of cesium (Cs-134 and Cs- 137) and Projected doses for the 1 st year for 3 dose levels (5 msv, 10 msv, 20 msv), estimated by MEXT 1 MBq/m 2 = 16.6 msv/y in 1 st year The values represent the sum of Cs-134 and Cs-137. Blue area: deposition between 0.3 and 0.6 MBq/m 2 Green area: deposition between 0.6 and 1 MBq/m 2. Yellow area: deposition between 1 and 3 MBq/m 2. Orange area : deposition between 3 and 6 MBq/m 2. Red area: deposition between 6 and 30 MBq/m 2. (All normalized to 29 April 2011) Source: IRSN, Report DRPH/ 2011-010 7

(Oct.-Nov. 2011 versus Oct.-Dec. 2012) Fukushima radiation reduction year-on-year 22 Oct. 5 Nov. 2011 24 Oct. 28 Dec. 2012 The latest survey of the Fukushima region reveals a pattern of contamination significantly reduced in the space of a year by natural processes of radioactive decay (~20%) and dispersal (another ~20%), approx. 40% reduction in total. Source: WNN, March 06, 2013 8

(6 March 2014) Radiation at Reading Points out of 20 km Zone, in μsv/h (Reading points in Kawamata Town and Namie Town) μsv/h Note: 4.6 μsv/h = 40 msv/year Allowable dose: Ordinary people: + 1 msv/year Radiological workers: + 20 msv/year Kawamata Namie Source: TEPCO, March 6, 2014 9

(26 December 2013) Plan revised for decontaminating some Fukushima areas Japan's Environment Ministry says it will be at least three years late in completing the clean-up of radioactive substances in some evacuated areas near the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. The ministry announced on Thursday that it will complete cleaning operations at evacuated areas in 2 municipalities by March 2016 and in 4 other municipalities by March 2017. The schedule is based on the condition that locations can be secured for the temporary storing of soil accumulated during the clean-up. The ministry reviewed the clean-up operations in 6 of the 11 municipalities in which the government is directly involved. Under the ministry's original plan, the work was due to be finished by March next year, except for areas where officials say it will be difficult for quite some time for evacuees to return home. Operations in the 6 municipalities are far behind schedule because of delays in securing local agreements on temporary locations for storing contaminated soil. Source: NHK, Thursday, December 26, 2013 10

(2012/2013) Fukushima and Ocean Radioactivity Unit: Peta Becquerel, with 1 PBq = 10 15 Bq. 1 Bq = one radioactive decay event per second. Comparison of the inventories of two common natural radionuclides, Potassium-40 and Uranium-238, with Cesium-137 produced by various human sources. Inventories are calculated for the entire ocean for natural radionuclides, and for Cs-137 at time of delivery. Note: About 75-80% of the radioactivity from the Fukushima accident was deposited in the ocean. Source: K.O. Buesseler, Fukushima and Ocean Radioactivity, Oceanography, 27,1 (2014) 92-105. 11

(12 January 2014) U.S. West Coast radiation from Fukushima disaster poses no risks, experts say Radiation detected off the U.S. West Coast from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan has declined since the tsunami disaster and never approached levels that could pose risk for human health, seafood or wildlife, scientists say. "There is no public health risk at California beaches due to radioactivity related to events at Fukushima," the California Department of Public Health said in a statement. Concentrations of radioactive cesium from the nuclear plant that were detected in the tissue of bluefin tuna, which migrate from waters near Japan across the Pacific to the coast of California and Mexico, were very low to begin with and have been falling since 2011, said Nicholas Fisher, a professor at Stony Brook University. "The dose is measurable but it's extremely low," said Fisher, an expert on marine radioactivity. Source: Los Angeles Times, January 12, 2014 12

(31 August 2013) Aerial view of the Fukushima-1 NPP 4 3 2 1 Photograph: Kyodo August 31, 2013 This aerial view shows TEPCO s tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, with enclosures around unit 1 and 4, and its contaminated water storage tanks (top). Source: Reuters/Kyodo, 4 Sept. 2013 13

(4 March 2014) Storage and Treatment of High Level Radioactive water (cumulated treated water: 431,300 ton) Inflow of groundwater Source: TEPCO, March 5, 2014 14

(12 October 2012) TEPCO s Multi-Nuclide Removal Facility Overview of the Facility Installation Area (September 16, 2012) - The existing decontamination facility mainly removes Cesium. A multi-nuclide removal facility (ALPS) to remove radioactive materials other than Cesium is under installation to further reduce the radioactivity of the processed accumulated water. - Construction will be completed at the end of October 2012. Source: TEPCO, 12 October 2012 15

(26 February 2014) ALPS water treatment system at Fukushima plant halts TEPCO says one of its key systems to treat radioactive water halted automatically. Concerns are rising ahead of planned full-fledged operation from April 2014. TEPCO has been test running 3 Advanced Liquid Processing Systems (ALPS s) since December 2013. They remove most kinds of radioactive nuclides from the tainted water produced there. They are deemed crucial in making the water safer. On Wednesday, one of the 2 systems running suddenly stopped after setting off an alarm. The operator is trying to find out the cause of the trouble. The firm is planning full implementation of the systems from April. It hopes to finish treating all of the water at the site stored in hundreds of tanks by March 2015. Source: NHK, Wednesday, February 26, 2014 16

(15 January 2013) Disposal sites for contaminated waste-water at Fukushima-1 NPP Source: NHK, January 15, 2013 17

(1 August 2013) Cesium levels in water under Fukushima-1 nuclear plant soar the deeper it gets TEPCO said Thursday it has detected high levels of radioactive cesium in water taken from deep under its disaster-hit Fukushima-1 nuclear plant. TEPCO found that water in a hole dug for a cable pipe contained up to 950 million becquerels of cesium per liter. The pipe is located near another at the turbine building of reactor 2, where water has been found to contain high levels of radioactive substances. Studying water taken from 1 meter, 7 meters and 13 meters underground at a point some 65 meters from the Pacific, TEPCO found 950 million becquerels of cesium and 520 million becquerels of beta ray-emitting radioactive substances, including strontium, in the water from 13 meters underground. Water from 1 meter down contained 340 million becquerels, and a sample from 7 meters down contained 350 million becquerels. On July 26, TEPCO detected 2.35 billion becquerels of cesium in water collected from a different cable trench closer to the ocean. Source: The Japan Times, Thursday, August 1, 2013 18

(28 February 2014) Groundwater Analysis at East Side of Turbine Buildings Source: TEPCO, February 28, 2014 19

(5 Feb. 2014-26 Feb. 2014) Results Groundwater Analysis at Observation Hole No. 2-2 Unit: Bq/L. ND means: below detection limit. Detection limit is provided in parentheses Source: TEPCO, February 28, 2014 20

(23 Jan. 2014-24 Feb. 2014) Results Groundwater Analysis at Observation Hole No. 1-16 Unit: Bq/L. ND means: below detection limit. Detection limit is provided in parentheses Source: TEPCO, February 28, 2014 21

(21 August 2013) TEPCO: 30 trillion becquerels leaked to sea The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant says 30 trillion becquerels of radioactive strontium and cesium may have leaked into the sea since May 2011. The figure is dozens of times higher than agreed limits, despite excluding the first 2 months of the crisis, when discharges were highest. The crisis was triggered by the March 11, 2011 tsunami and earthquake. The new estimates are included in a TEPCO report on the ongoing leak of contaminated groundwater into the sea. The report was released on Wednesday. The company says up to 10 trillion becquerels of strontium and 20 trillion becquerels of cesium have leaked into the sea since May 2011. The total is hugely beyond TEPCO'S in-house annual emission limit of 220 billion becquerels -- under normal circumstances. The company says the calculation was based on radioactive levels detected within the plant's bay and on the assumption that the leaks have been ongoing. Source: NHK, Wednesday, August 21, 2013 22

(28 February 2013) Highest radiation detected in fish at TEPCO port Radioactive cesium far beyond Japan's safety limit has been detected in a fish caught at the port of the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture. TEPCO, operator of the damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant, says the rock trout contained 510,000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram. That's the highest ever detected in fish and about 5,100 times the government safety limit. A fish caught in December at the same port contained 254,000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram. The new record is about twice that amount. TEPCO says it will step up efforts to keep fish within the port and exterminate them. Source: NHK, Thursday, February 28, 2013 23

July 2013 Copernicus Institute 24

(6 March 2014) Monitoring of Radioactivity around the Fukushima-1 Port (Becquerel per liter) Cs-134: ND Cs-137: ND All β: ND Tritium: ND Cs-134: ND Cs-137: ND All β: ND Tritium: ND Cs-134: ND Cs-137: ND All β: ND Tritium: ND Cs-134: ND Cs-137: ND All β: ND Tritium: ND Cs-134: ND Cs-137: ND All β: ND Tritium: ND Cs-134: ND Cs-137: 0.96 All β: 14 Tritium: ND Cs-134: ND Cs-137: 0.85 All β: 11 Tritium: ND Source: TEPCO, 6 March 2014 [http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/decommision/index-e.html] 25

(9 August 2013) TEPCO starts pumping up contaminated groundwater to minimize leakage into the ocean On Friday, TEPCO started pumping contaminated water from a pit dug near the coast between the reactor 1 and 2 buildings. When the operation reaches its full capacity it will hopefully stop the 100 tons a day from flowing through that area. But it will take at least several months for TEPCO to start pumping 200 tons per day of tainted water from two other contaminated areas near the coast. According to TEPCO, about 1,000 tons of groundwater flow from the mountainside into the compound each day. Of that amount, 400 tons end up inside the damaged reactor buildings and 300 tons flow to the sea after being contaminated with radioactive materials from the damaged plant, mainly strontium and tritium. The remaining 300 tons supposedly reach the Pacific uncontaminated. Source: The Japan Times, August 9, 2013 & NHK, August 14, 2013 26

(26 August 2013) Fundamental measures against increase contaminated water and to stop outflow into the ocean Measure 1: Stopping outflow into the ocean: Installation of a sea-side impervious wall. Measure 2: Suppressing increase of contaminated water and preventing outflow into the port. Measure 3: Stopping inflow of groundwater into the reactor buildings, etc. Source: TEPCO, August 26, 2013 27

Source: TEPCO, August 26, 2013 28

(15 Oct. 2013) Impervious wall made of steel sheet pipe installed along the coast Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, wearing a red helmet, during a tour of the Fukushima Daiichi plant Photograph: AP Source: The Guardian, 15 October 2013 29

Blocks groundwater from the mountains Blocks groundwater from the mountains Reactor 1 Reactor 2 Reactor 3 Reactor 4 frozen soil Frozen wall Ocean pipeline Ocean circulating soil-freezing Pipeline coolant circulating ice-freezing coolant - A 1.4-km barrier of frozen soil will be created by sinking pipes around the buildings housing reactors 1 to 4 and then running coolant through them. - According to major contractor Kajima Corp., which proposed the project, construction is expected to cost 30 billion to 40 billion. Source: TEPCO, August 26, 2013 & The Japan Times, August 7, 2013 30

(25 February 2014) Frozen wall test to begin at Fukushima plant Engineers are to start testing a plan to build frozen walls at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The government and TEPCO are to begin the test on March 11th at the earliest. The amount of wastewater at the plant has been increasing as 400 tons of groundwater is flowing beneath the facilities from nearby mountains every day. The government plans to spend more than 300 million dollars to build frozen walls around the Number One to Number 4 reactors. The test will be conducted at the Number 4 reactor. Engineers will drive steel pipes to a depth of 30-35 meters in an area measuring 100 square meters. They will inject liquid coolant at a temperature of minus 40 degrees into the pipes. The refrigerant is expected to freeze the soil in a month or so. They will check whether the frozen wall can stop the flow of groundwater despite the presence of piping or other structures beneath the soil. They will also study how to replace the pipes. Some engineering and geology experts doubt that frozen walls of the planned unprecedented size can be properly maintained over the long term. Source: NHK, Tuesday, February 25, 2014 31

Source: TEPCO, August 26, 2013 32

(23 August 2013) Manning the parapets Workers are seen on storage tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant during the inspection by the Nuclear Regulation Authority on August 23, 2013 (Photo: Bloomberg) Source: The Japan Times, Saturday, August 31, 2013 33

(20 August 2013) Leakage of 300 tons radioactive wastewater from storage tanks causing high radiation levels (3 October 2013) New radioactive water leak found at Fukushima No. 1 With about 5 tons seeping into the ground (9 November 2013) Tainted water leaks from a barrier that surrounds wastewater storage tanks at Fukushima Daiichi (20 February 2014) Record-high tainted water leak of 100 tons at Fukushima plant caused by overflow from storage tank Sources: NHK & The Japan Times 34

(24 February 2014) NRA is criticizing tainted water leaks TEPCO official: Change of corporate culture needed Japan's nuclear regulator has criticized TEPCO for failing to prevent leaking of 100 tons of highly radioactive water from a storage tank. TEPCO on Monday briefed experts of the NRA that the leakage occurred when valves that should have been closed were left open. This allowed tainted water to enter the tank that overflowed. They reported that workers have not been sufficiently monitoring the levels of water inside the tank. NRA official Toyoshi Fuketa said that water gauges, alarms and other devices have been in place to prevent water leaks but they were not functional. He asked TEPCO officials to take thorough measures to ensure these devices will fully work. A senior official of TEPCO, Anegawa, has apologized for the repeated leaks of contaminated water from tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Anegawa said he thinks a change in corporate culture is needed to avoid such repeated mistakes. He said he understands the problems and that he will do his best to improve the management, but that this takes time. Source: NHK, Monday, February 24, 2014 35

(February-March 2014) Results of Groundwater Analysis around Tank Area H-4 Unit: Bq/L. ND means: below detection limit. Detection limit is provided in parentheses Source: TEPCO, March 6, 2014 36

(26 May 2012) Spent Fuel Rods Drive Growing Fear Over Plant in Japan Reporters and TEPCO workers at Reactor No. 4 at Fukushima Daiichi, which the environment and nuclear minister visited Saturday, May 26, 2012 The public s fears about the pool of reactor 4 have grown in recent months as some scientists have warned that it has the most potential for setting off a new catastrophe, as frequent quakes continue to rattle the region. The worst-case situations for Reactor No. 4 would be for the pool to run dry if there is another problem with the cooling system and the rods catch fire, releasing enormous amounts of radioactive material, or for fission to restart if the metal panels that separate the rods are knocked over in a quake. Source: New York Times, 26 May 2012 37

(18 November 2013) Nuclear fuel removal from spent fuel pool of reactor 4 The spent fuel units at the No.4 reactor building have been in the storage pool for at least 3 years. Each is said to have up to 7,500 trillion becquerels of radioactivity. When the units are taken out of the pool, they are put in a special steel container called a "cask," which is capable of blocking the radiation and heat. A cask can hold up to 22 units. Workers will seal the filled cask and lift it out of the pool with a large crane. The work to remove one cask will take about 12 hours over a 2-day period. Workers will then transport the fuel to another storage pool about 100 meters away. The utility officials say this process takes 8 to 10 days. The first cask will transport unused fuel units. - The removal of nuclear fuel units from the storage pool of the No.4 reactor building is expected to be completed by the end of next year if all goes well. - The pool contains 1,533 units. Nearly 90 percent of them are spent fuel rods, which continue to emit high levels of radiation and heat. - Spent fuel contains about one percent plutonium by weight. Source: NHK, 18 November 2013 38

(3 March 2014) Fuel removal from Unit 4 Breakdown of transferred assemblies by kind: - Spent fuel: 396 assemblies / 1,331 assemblies - Unirradiated (new) fuel: 22 assemblies / 202 assemblies Number of times of cask transportation: 19 times Source: TEPCO, 4 March 2014 [http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/decommision/index-e.html] 39

(8 March 2014) Rough estimates of health effects for Japan No death within weeks due to radiation; about 6 death due to other reasons. Till now: About 32,000 workers receiving in total 403 man-sievert. This may result in about 20 death due to radiogenic cancer. Radioactive contamination of an area of about 1,000 km 2 to levels that may result in its long-term evacuation. Not many thyroid cancers to be expected, because of timely evacuation (apart from some areas) and provision of iodine tablets. Radiogenic cancers are suspected (but undetectable in a much larger background of cancers due to other courses). A rough estimation: about 1,000 death among people in contaminated areas and between zero up to a few thousand death in the rest of Japan. A large number of people (many hundreds: 1400?) died as a result of stresses caused by the accident, evacuation, and uncertainty. Source: Wim C. Turkenburg, November 2011 (plus updates) 40

(March 2011 - January 2014) Exposure doses (internal plus external) versus number of workers engaged in the emergency works Source: TEPCO, February 28, 2014-32,034 workers x 12.58 msv/worker = exposure dose of 403 man-sievert in total. - When applying a Fatal Risk Coefficient of 5% per man-sievert, this would mean: 20 people (out of 32,034) dying from cancer caused by radiation. 41

(2013) Estimated costs from damages to persons, goods and environment Fukushima: 187 billion Chernobyl: 450 billion Operator s liability according to national laws in EU member states (in Euro) Country Operators liability Limit fin. security Belgium 1.2 billion 1.2 billion Finland Unlimited 700 million France 700 million 700 million Germany Unlimited 2.5 billion Netherlands 1.2 billion 1.2 billion Sweden Unlimited 1.2 billion UK 156.7 million 156.7 million Source: European Commission, 2013 See: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/nuclear/consultations/20130718_powerplants_en.htm 42

(6 July 2012) Diet panel: Nuclear crisis man-made Regulatory system corrupt; safety steps were rejected According to the Diet panel, the NISA and TEPCO were aware of the need to improve safety at Fukushima-1 before the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, but TEPCO was reluctant to do so and NISA didn't press for the necessary improvements. For instance, the government in 2006 revised the standards for earthquake resistance and requested that utilities evaluate their plants. Although it was found that TEPCO needed to implement anti-seismic reinforcement measures, the utility kept putting it off and NISA let it slide, the report says. Turning to the government, the panel said its crisis management system was ineffective and failed to stop the crisis from escalating, as its responsibilities and those of TEPCO were vague. The panel also said it could not rule out that the Great East Japan Earthquake damaged critical reactor components, including cooling systems. The panel also makes several proposals to improve nuclear safety, such as revising nuclear power-related laws to stress public health and safety as the first priority and creating a commission in the Diet to monitor whether government regulators are doing an adequate job. Source: The Japan Times, July 6, 2012 43

(26 July 2012) The Japan Times: Obsession with a safety myth The government-commissioned panel charged with investigating the nuclear crisis at TEPCO's Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant submitted its final report to Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Monday. The report made clear that obsessed with the myth of nuclear safety, both TEPCO and the regulators lacked capabilities, organizational setups and mental preparedness to cope with a massive accident. "Because the government and the power utilities, including TEPCO, were biased by the safety myth, thinking they would never ever face such a serious accident, they were unable to realize that such a crisis could occur in reality. This appears to be the fundamental problem," said the Investigation Committee on the Accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Plant. A big question is whether the government and the power industry have really liberated themselves from the myth and have a humble attitude needed in handling nuclear technology. All members of the nuclear power establishment must ask themselves if they are really qualified to establish the type of culture that gives priority to protecting people's health and livelihoods. Source: The Japan Times, Thursday, July 26, 2012 44

Status of the Nuclear Power Plants in Japan as of June 18, 2012 (and also March 8, 2014) In 2010: about 30% of electricity production from nuclear plants Operating Operation suspended Under security check Source: JAIF website, 18 June 2012 45

(28 October 2013) To Replace Nuclear Power, Japan Is Spending Billions on Gas and Coal Question: if nuclear is out, what's in? The answer: fossil fuels, and a whole lot of them. This week, Japan announced a $7 billion initiative to build 12 new natural gas and two new coal plants by the end of next year. The new funding for fossil fuel plants is a sign that the government of Japan lacks confidence in its nuclear industry rebounding to its former scale. The $7 billion estimate for the new projects comes from Reuters. The push towards natural gas and coal will allow the country to cut back on crude and fuel oil power plants, fuels that are incredibly costly to import. Expanding gas-fired generation is the only viable large-scale option in a nuclear-free Japan to power its industrial and commercial sector and keep electricity prices low enough for businesses to stay competitive globally. What about renewables, you ask? With storage and space restrictions, they're not ready yet to take over the bulk of power duties. Japan currently has nearly 25,000 MW of new fossil fuel capacity planned, and while Japan has previously announced a massive renewable energy initiative, it's not enough to replace nuclear completely. Source: Motherboard, October 28, 2013 46

(25 February 2014) Japan's govt. drafts new energy plan Japan's government has drafted a new basic energy plan that defines nuclear power as an important "base-load" energy source. The draft was adopted at Tuesday's meeting of relevant cabinet ministers. How to define nuclear power has been a focal issue since the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. An initial draft issued last year defined nuclear power as an important, fundamental base energy source. The description drew criticism from members of governing parties for giving nuclear energy too high a status. "Base-load energy" refers to a power source that can continuously supply electricity day and night in a stable manner. Government officials say the phrase is a description of capability, and is not an indication of the power source's importance in the energy market. The draft says the government will restart nuclear plants whose safety has been established by the highest standards in the world as designated by the Nuclear Regulation Authority. Concerning the recycling of nuclear fuel, the plan says it should be promoted as part of the basic policy but also be handled with strategic flexibility. Source: NHK, Tuesday, February 25, 2014 47

(26 February 2014) Ex-PM Kan criticizes govt. energy plan Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan has criticized the draft of a general energy plan submitted by the Liberal Democrat-led government. He says it aims for increased use of nuclear power. Speaking at a Lower House subcommittee meeting on Wednesday, Kan said in places the document calls for minimizing reliance on nuclear power. But when read as a whole, it aims for the exact opposite. Industry minister Toshimitsu Motegi refuted the claim, describing the draft as balanced and practical. Kan also said support for nuclear fuel recycling in the draft shows the government learned nothing from the accident at Fukushima-1 nuclear plant. After the meeting, Kan told reporters that his Democratic Party-led administration shifted its nuclear energy policy after he felt remorse for never doubting the safety of nuclear plants until the Fukushima accident. He accused the administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of trying to turn back the clock on nuclear energy policy to pre-march 2011. Source: NHK, Wednesday, February 26, 2014 48

Thanks for your attention! Wim Turkenburg w.c.turkenburg@uu.nl Copernicus Institute 49