The following blog post originally appeared in NEI Nuclear Notes.
Yesterday, news broke that an independent investigation by the Japanese parliament has concluded that the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was a “man-made” failure that could be laid at the feet of both Tokyo Electric Power Company and the government. According to Tokyo University professor emeritus and Committee Chair Kiyoshi Kurokawa, the Fukushima accident “cannot be regarded as a natural disaster … It could and should have been foreseen and prevented. And its effects could have been mitigated by a more effective human response.”
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The following story originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview.
The industry estimates it will take each nuclear plant site between 30,000 and 45,000 hours to respond to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s post-Fukushima request for information on seismic risk and other issues—more than three times the NRC’s estimate.
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The following story originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview.
New requirements for post-Fukushima safety enhancements at French nuclear power plants will involve “considerable work and large-scale investments,” a report from the country’s nuclear regulator says.
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The following story originally appeared in NEI’s Nuclear Energy Overview.
An independent commission appointed by Japan’s parliament to study the causes of last year’s nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi had harsh criticism for the government, the operator of the plant and even the country’s national culture.
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Industry/Regulatory/Political
- Tokyo Electric Power Co. last week released its final report of the company’s internal investigation of events at Fukushima Daiichi following the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011. Japanese media say that in the report TEPCO says it failed to adequately prepare for the nuclear emergency, but also criticizes the government for communication failures and interfering with the company’s emergency response. TEPCO said one lesson it has taken from the accident is the need for an emergency response system that takes into account a reactor that has lost all its functions and measures to improve the chain of command and information flow. The report, which TEPCO says was based on interviews with about 600 employees, on-site inspections, and data analysis, is being translated into English.
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