Fukushima Daiichi Could See Cold Shutdown Ahead of Schedule

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources East Asia (Kofu-shi, Japan)--Despite the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan and Germany's exit from the nuclear arena, the International Atomic Energy Agency meeting on September 19 showed that many countries are getting back on the nuclear bandwagon. Many countries are not only showing support for the industry, but are also supporting the use of nuclear energy, though Japan and France, in particular, remain skeptical. The six-month memorial of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami was met with nuclear protests in Tokyo.

Step Two of Tokyo Electric Power Company Incorporated's (TYO:9501) (TEPCO) (Tokyo) "roadmap to recovery" is well underway and is expecting completion ahead of schedule according to Hosono Kouji, the official in charge of the nuclear disaster administration. Hosono said that achieving cold shutdown is possible, and may even happen before the end of the year. Step One of the recovery process was delayed, raising concerns that the government and TEPCO would not be able to meet the cold shutdown goals. Even if cold shutdown occurs ahead of schedule, residents will remain banned from the exclusion zone, much like Chernobyl.

The steel skeleton of the cover for Unit 1 has been completed, and the polyester sheets are currently being installed from the bottom of the structure up. Construction of the cover should be completed by the end of September, while installation of the ventilation system will be completed during October. Debris from the March 14 hydrogen explosion at Unit 3 is still in the process of being removed. Construction on Unit 3's cover will not be able to proceed until debris removal has been completed.

TEPCO is looking to discontinue the Areva/Curion water treatment systems in favor of Toshiba Corporation's (TYO:6502) (Tokyo), citing operational difficulties with the foreign machinery and SARRY's one-month trouble-free operating history. The Areva/Curion systems will be converted to backup-only devices. On September 16, TEPCO increased the amount of water being injected into units 2 and 3. Water injection for Unit 2 was increased by 1 ton to 7 tons per hour and Unit 3's water injection was back to 12 tons per hour, an increase of 5 tons per hour. The extra water is being diverted to the reactor core spray cooling system.

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