Japanese to sue to shut down some nuclear reactors

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@EARTHLINK.NET>]

Index:



Japanese to sue to shut down some nuclear reactors

3-day annual confab of nuclear energy groups opens

Japan nuclear reactor shut down to check leak

FirstEnergy submits Ohio reactor report to NRC

Energy Sec. Defends Nuke Waste Site

Washington Nuke Plant Probed

=================================



Japanese to sue to shut down some nuclear reactors



TOKYO, April 22 (Reuters) - More than 1,000 people are set to sue one 

of Japan's major utility firms, demanding it shut several accident-

hit nuclear reactors they say pose a danger to local residents, one 

plaintiff said on Monday.

 

One of the four reactors at Hamaoka, some 150 km (95 miles) west of 

Tokyo, was the site of several accidents last year and in addition 

the reactors are in an earthquake-prone region that some scientists 

say could be hit by a major tremor within a few years.

 

A total of 1,012 plaintiffs will sue Chubu Electric Power Company, 

Japan's third-largest power firm in terms of electricity sales, on 

Thursday to demand that all the reactors be shut down, said group 

representative Jun Ohtsuki.

 

"There were two accidents last year, and we are greatly worried about 

what could happen if a major earthquake hit," he said. "We expect the 

number of plaintiffs to rise."

 

The Hamaoka plant's No. 1 reactor was shut down temporarily last 

November after two leaks were discovered, one of steam containing a 

small amount of radiation and another of water that also contained 

radiation.

 

Officials at Chubu Electric later said the steam leak may have been 

caused by a hydrogen explosion in a pipe.

 

The plant's No. 2 reactor, of similar design, was shut down shortly 

after the accidents as a precautionary measure.

 

The plaintiffs say the accidents are of concern but a far greater 

worry is what could happen if a major earthquake struck the Tokai 

region of central Japan.

 

Japanese scientists have long been predicting that a catastrophic 

earthquake could hit the area, a place where two tectonic plates 

meet.

 

"There are also concerns relating to the ageing of the plants," said 

the plaintiffs' statement.

 

Both the Hamaoka No. 1 and No. 2 plants were built in the 1970s.

 

Japan, reliant on nuclear energy for one-third of its power needs, 

has seen a number of accidents over the past decade that have 

undermined public support for its nuclear programme.

 

The worst took place in 1999 at a uranium processing plant in 

Tokaimura, north of Tokyo, in which two workers were killed.

 

An advanced thermal reactor was shut down after indications that 

iodine continued to leak into the cooling water, a problem detected 

last week, Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC) said on 

Monday.

 

Spokesmen at JNC said the state-run operator stopped the 165,000-

kilowatt Fugen reactor in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, on Sunday 

after a monitor measuring the concentration of radiation in steam 

showed a rise in reading.

 

No radiation had leaked into the outside environment, they said.

 

The latest incident comes after the government said in a White Paper 

released this month that Japan's nuclear safety record had improved 

for 2001.

---------------



3-day annual confab of nuclear energy groups opens



SAITAMA, Japan April 22 (Kyodo) - A three-day annual conference 

gathering groups and firms connected with the nuclear energy industry 

began Monday in the city of Saitama, north of Tokyo.

 

The 35th Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) Annual Conference is 

titled ''Nuclear Power in the Changing Socio-Political Environment -- 

Challenges for the Future.''

 

It is aimed at reconfirming the importance of nuclear power in the 

nation's energy policy, said organizers of the forum, which promotes 

the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

 

Participants will also discuss Japan's pluthermal project using 

plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel as well as the current 

situation for nuclear power in Europe and the United States, they 

said.

-----------------



Japan nuclear reactor shut down to check leak



TOKYO, April 22 (Reuters) - An advanced Japanese thermal reactor was 

shut down after indications that iodine continued to leak into the 

cooling water, a problem detected last week, Japan Nuclear Cycle 

Development Institute (JNC) said on Monday.

 

Spokesmen at JNC said the state-run operator stopped the 165,000-

kilowatt Fugen reactor in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, on Sunday 

after a monitor measuring the concentration of radiation in steam 

showed a rise in reading.

 

No radiation has leaked into the outside environment, they said.

 

JNC said last Thursday it had found a higher-than-usual reading of 

iodine in the cooling water during a trial operation after restarting 

the reactor on April 12.

 

A spokesman said at the time that JNC might have to shut down the 

reactor again if the reading continues to rise because there could be 

a small hole in the pipe covering the fuel rods.

 

Fugen was shut down on April 9 after a small leakage of steam 

containing radiation was detected.

 

The latest incident comes after the government said in a White Paper 

released on April 9 that the nation's nuclear safety record had 

improved for 2001.

 

The nuclear industry has been criticised after a series of accidents, 

including Japan's worst-ever in 1999 at a uranium processing plant in 

Tokaimura, north of Tokyo, where two workers were killed.

 

A third of Japan's power needs are covered by 52 commercial nuclear 

reactors, which does not include Fugen.

----------------



FirstEnergy submits Ohio reactor report to NRC



WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - FirstEnergy Corp.<FE.N> on Friday 

submitted a report to U.S. nuclear regulators acknowledging it made 

missteps which led to deep corrosion at an Ohio nuclear power plant.

 

The report reiterates findings the firm provided to the Nuclear 

Regulatory Commission (NRC) on March 22. Regulators have yet to 

approve a first-of-a-kind repair plan, in which the company offered 

to spend $16 million to patch the damage near the reactor.

 

NRC officials were not immediately available for comment.

 

The report found that boric acid -- used in the coolant surrounding 

radioactive uranium rods in the reactor core -- had seeped out around 

several of the control rod nozzles that penetrate the carbon steel 

reactor head.

 

The worst leakage ate a hole through the six-inch (15-cm) thick 

carbon steel reactor head.

 

After being harshly criticized by NRC officials in recent weeks, 

FirstEnergy acknowledged that the problem should have been evident as 

early as 1999.

 

"The cracks in the stainless steel nozzles probably occurred over a 

period of four years, or more," the Akron, Ohio-based firm said in a 

statement.

 

The company acknowledged that it "missed opportunities for earlier 

detection of the problem."

 

FirstEnergy presented a preliminary plan for repairs to regulators 

earlier this month, proposing to patch the 150-ton reactor vessel 

head capping the 925-megawatt Davis-Besse plant.

 

FirstEnergy officials said at an April hearing that the repair work 

would take three to four weeks. The company will submit a more 

detailed plan to the NRC within the next few weeks.

 

Davis-Besse engineers discovered the problem during a routine 

refueling and maintenance outage that began Feb. 16 at the 25-year-

old plant in Oak Harbor, Ohio.

 

This week, the NRC stepped up its investigation after finding that 

workers at the plant had carried microscopic radioactive particles on 

their clothing to outside locations.

 

FirstEnergy said the particles found on four workers are unlikely to 

cause adverse health effects.

 

The company has estimated that while Davis-Besse is shut, it would 

have to spend $10 million to $15 million a month buying replacement 

power for the 4.3 million customers served by its seven subsidiary 

utilities.

 

The Davis-Besse plant provides about 7 percent of FirstEnergy's 

overall electricity supply.

 

The United States has 103 operating nuclear power plants, providing 

about a fifth of the nation's electricity supply.

------------------



Energy Sec. Defends Nuke Waste Site



WASHINGTON (AP) - Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham said Thursday that 

killing the Yucca Mountain project would leave the federal government 

without a plan for solving the nation's radioactive waste problem.

 

``There is no alternative at that point,'' Abraham told a 

congressional panel. ``We go back to square one to see what comes 

next.''

 

Urging Congress to move ahead with the Nevada burial site for nuclear 

waste, Abraham warned that energy companies would develop their own 

plans for transporting and disposing of waste from nuclear power 

plants.

 

``Do we want to do it in a coordinated national plan or on more of an 

ad hoc basis?'' he said at a hearing of the House Energy and 

Commerce subcommittee on energy and air quality.

 

Abraham's first public defense of the Bush administration's 

recommendation that the Nevada desert site become the long-term home 

for nuclear waste also included a plea to skeptical members of 

Congress to move the project ahead in spite of their reservations.

 

Approving the Yucca Mountain depository would allow the Energy 

Department to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a 

license to operate the facility beginning in 2010. Up to 77,000 tons 

of highly radioactive material generated by commercial nuclear 

power plants and the government's weapons program would be stored 900 

feet beneath the desert.

 

Nevada Gov. Kenny Guinn, under special rules devised by Congress, 

rejected Bush's designation of Yucca Mountain 10 days ago.

 

Congress must ratify Bush's decision within 90 days or find a new 

burial site for high-level nuclear waste, now stored at 131 sites 

around the country.

 

Consolidating the waste was a major factor cited by committee members 

who support the project.

 

``You're well-served to put all your eggs in one basket and then 

watch that basket,'' Rep. Tom Sawyer, D-Ohio, said, quoting Mark 

Twain.

 

Nevada's congressional delegation, united in its opposition to Yucca 

Mountain, urged defeat of the project because of questions 

about the site's safety and the risks of transporting radioactive 

material across the country.

 

Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said the shipments of spent nuclear fuel 

through population centers would be ripe targets for terrorists. 

``We've heard that terrorists are looking for dirty bombs,'' Ensign 

said. ``Well, these are dirty bombs.''

 

But Abraham, who faced mostly friendly questioning, countered, ``The 

presumption is that al-Qaida or some other terrorist group 

would wait 10 years ... when they already know where it is today at 

131 sites.''

 

On the Net: Yucca Mountain Project: http://www.ymp.gov  

http://energycommerce.house.gov/107/subcommittees/Energy-and-Air-

Qua lity.htm

-------------------



Washington Nuke Plant Probed



RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) - Nuclear regulators are investigating a safety 

violation that could have caused bursts of potentially fatal 

radiation at a plant that makes fuel assemblies for commercial 

reactors.

 

The violation occurred last week at the Framatome Advanced Nuclear 

Power plant, but did not result in an accident.

 

Site manager Bob Link said an employee poured radioactive uranium 

oxide powder into a 45-gallon barrel that was missing a safety 

device to prevent an uncontrolled nuclear reaction and releases of 

potentially deadly radiation. The employee realized the mistake, 

and reported it.

 

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission began an investigation this week.

 

Two or three barriers, either chemical or physical, are generally put 

in place to prevent such accidents. In the Framatome incident, a 

second barrier was missing.

 

The plant is operated by Framatome ANP Inc., one of the world's 

largest builders of nuclear plants.

 

On the Net:

 

http://www.framatome-anp.com



-------------------------------------------------

Sandy Perle

Director, Technical

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Service

ICN Plaza, 3300 Hyland Avenue

Costa Mesa, CA 92626



Tel:(714) 545-0100 / (800) 548-5100  Extension 2306

Fax:(714) 668-3149



E-Mail: sandyfl@earthlink.net

E-Mail: sperle@icnpharm.com



Personal Website: http://sandy-travels.com

ICN Worldwide Dosimetry Website: http://www.dosimetry.com



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