Nuclear Experts Invited to Examine Fukushima Nuclear Plant

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been given the green light to send in a delegation of experts to examine the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan.

The 20-strong team of international and IAEA experts represent a dozen countries and will be headed up by the U.K.'s Chief Nuclear Inspector Mike Weightman. Weightman has already been tasked by the U.K. government to assess the impact of the Japanese disaster on the country's own plans to build at least eight new nuclear plants. For additional information, see April 7, 2011, article - Three-Month Delay Hits U.K. Nuclear Plans.

Japan has given permission to the IAEA fact-finding mission, which will set out to review the safety issues that led to the explosions and subsequent radiation leakages at the plant, following the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami in early March.

The proposed resurgence of nuclear power in Europe has been temporarily derailed by the events in Japan with some countries postponing their nuclear programmes. The findings of the IAEA mission may lead to stricter safety controls and tests for many of Europe's older nuclear plants.

The mission will also visit other locations owned and operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Incorporated (TYO:9501) (TEPCO) (Tokyo). The team will arrive in Japan between May 24 and June 2, with Weightman expected to present the mission's report at the Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety organised by the IAEA in Vienna, June 20-24. The findings will be used to strengthen the global nuclear safety framework, which will be presented at the event.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan confirmed this week that reactors at the quake-damaged plant will be taken offline by the end of the year, and he welcomed the IAEA's delegation.

"With regard to the accident, our country has committed to ensuring the utmost transparency for the international community," he said. "The acceptance of the team is part of this and it will be fruitful for sharing our country's experience with other countries."

In related news, Industrial Info has reported that TEPCO has just released a revised plan for the cold shutdown of units 1 through 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station. The revised 'roadmap to recovery' plan is based on TEPCO's admissions that reactor fuel in Unit 1 suffered from a meltdown shortly after the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck on March 11. It is also thought that fuel assemblies in units 2 and 3 are thought to have suffered, or are currently suffering, meltdown as well. As a result, the Fukushima exclusion zone has been widened to at least 45 kilometres, and rescue operations have begun evacuating residents within the widened exclusion zone to neighbouring villages and towns.

TEPCO aims to have the plant shut down within the next six to nine months. For additional information, see May 17, 2011, article - Tokyo Electric Releases Revised "Roadmap to Recovery".

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