Nuclear energy in Japan: How does Japan face the nuclear safety problem?

The nuclear energy began to return gradually, after it witnessed a significant decrease in its position in the Japanese power mix in the wake of the collapse of the Fukushima Daechi nuclear power plant in March 2011.Over the past many years, facilities that are looking to restart the reactors have invested greatly in developing facilities to meet the new strict regulations..So far, though, there are only a few stations under operation.

The recently unveiled security problems at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Energy Station, which is run by Tokyo Electric Energy Company, shows the difficulty of passing strict safety measures imposed by the Nuclear Control Authority.Tipco had pumped resources in the facility located in the Nigata Governorate with the aim of restarting unit 6 and 7 reactors on the site, but the Nuclear Control Authority ordered more improvements before allowing the facilities to start the refueling process.Below I assess the main promotions made at the Kashiwazaki Cario station under the new nuclear control authority regulations issued in July 2013.

Protection from tsunami waves

The Fukushima Daeichi accident changed the safety point of the nuclear power plants in Japan.Usually, any accident may lead to an emergency response where the reactors are closed, the water rotates to maintain the cold fuel bars, and any remaining pollution will be contained..However, the huge tsunami waves fell in this process at the Fukushima facility when the sea waters flooded the lower levels of the reactor building, where there were diesel generators for emergency.Without energy, the cooling systems stopped working and the reactors melted, ultimate.

In the aftermath of the accident, protecting reactors from tsunami became a priority.The Kashiwazaki Kariwa Nuclear Energy Station evaluation is estimated that the tidal wave is 6.8 meters can reach the coast where the facility is located.After studying the Fukushima accident, Tebco chose to overcome the requirements of the organizational body and built a 15 -meter nautical wall over the waves..Using the terrain in its favor, it built a 10-meter-long concrete barrier for a 1-4 low units and a 3 meter dirt dam in the units 5-7, which floats at a higher altitude above sea level.

When looking at it from the beach, the structure looks like a mountain.However, an official at Tipco told me that the company had to create additional defense lines in the event of a tsunami disaster that violates the main sea wall..The facility set up secondary barriers and set up water -resistant barriers to prevent sea water from entering the buildings of the reactor through holes and windows.As an additional precaution, it has prepared areas that contain generators and other emergency equipment with heavy doors that prevent water leakage and enhanced drainage systems, including connections and penetration points in the walls, to prevent water leakage inward.

Response to the emergency

In emergency situations, maintaining the work of cooling systems is very important.To prepare for an event in which the marine fence and smaller barriers fail or the electrical current is cut off at the Nigata factory, Tebco has installed four groups of gas generators and keyboards on high ground and stationed a fleet of 20 cars born as a backup copy.

If these safety measures fail and the water must be launched directly on the reactors - as is the case in the dramatic scenes of a helicopter of the Self -Defense Forces that were poured sea water on the damaged reactors buildings in Fukushima Daihi - Tebco built a 20,000 -meter fresh water tankA cube has 42 fireplace pumps on the site.As an additional precaution, it has installed steam pumps capable of getting rid of water vapor resulting from the reactors.

Firefighters extinguish the buildings of the reactors with water during an emergency training.Kyodo News.

Fukushima Daihi gave a blatant lesson about what could happen again without the presence of such systems.With the disruption of the stationary cooling systems, feverish fuel bars interacted with the surrounding steam, which led to the division of water molecules, which led to the hydrogen explosions that destroyed the buildings of the reactor.To prevent a similar scenario from appearing at the Kashiwazaki Cario Station in the event of a reaction's heartbring or the cooling system, Tebco has prepared the reactor buildings with mechanisms that launch oxygen to prevent hydrogen from accumulating to dangerous levels.In addition, she installed a designed ventilation filters to reduce the concentration of radioactive particles and prevent their release in the outer atmosphere.

Tebco faced great challenges in making the station in line with the new regulations of the Nuclear Control Authority, which is the most stringent in the global nuclear industry.In addition to the Tsunami measures, the tool had to meet strict counseling to combat terrorism, including developing a response to the attackers who were driving a plane to the facility..The government completed unit inspection 7 in October 2020 and the largest part of the construction was completed in January this year.Tebco was confident that it covered all the rules, but the discovery that individuals had used an identity card for an employee to enter the central control room without permission and that the infiltratic detection system did not work for a long time led to the nuclear control authority to stop the reactor restart plans.Security problems also raise questions about whether the population will agree to restart the station or not.

Understand the opinions of local communities

In addition to meeting the regulations of the Nuclear Control Authority, the facilities that aim to restart the reactors must obtain the approval of the towns and cities in which the stations are located.The controversy is often risky as host communities weigh the economic benefits of nuclear energy, including jobs and revenues from government subsidies and local taxes, in exchange for safety concerns..The funds flowing to the construction industries are from the huge projects to update the facilities.

An example of the dilemma facing the host societies is the decision of the mayors of the UNAGWA and Ishnomaki municipalities in Miyagi Governorate to agree to restart unit 2 from the Onagawa Nuclear Energy Station of Tuoko Electric Energy Company.The Governor of Miagi Murray Yoshirro also gave his approval and announced the decision in November 2020 after a meeting with the mayors, the first time that a facility was affected by an earthquake and Tsunami in March 2011 the green light to resume the operation.Speaking at a press conference, the governor pointed to local job opportunities and tax revenues as major factors in influencing the consensus of local leaders in favor of restarting the reactor, but he stressed that the decision was bitter.

A similar dynamic is found in the municipalities.Until January 1 of this year, about 6,300 people work in the facility, including facilities and independent contractors, of whom about 3,500 local population.Family members are likely to lead four times the number of people who depend on the power plant in their livelihood, which makes the decision to start work difficult to oppose it.

The two host municipalities similarly depend on the revenues flowing to their treasures from the station.This includes subsidies and grants from the national government, governorate fees for nuclear fuel, tax on consumer fuel, property and local income taxes.In 2018, Kashiwazaki received 3.4 billion yen in the form of other government support and financing and Cario 1.3 billion yen.If the local taxes are considered in mind, the Kashiwazaki's revenues directly related to the nuclear power plant reached 8.0 billion yen and 2.9 billion yen Cario, or about 15 % and a little more than half of its annual income, respectively.This alone shows the extent of societies dependent on nuclear energy.

Like other host societies, remote municipalities that suffer from financial distress saw nuclear energy a profitable endeavor.Kashiwazaki and Cario agreed to the station in 1969, and the first unit reactor began in 1978, and the facility was operated in September 1985.After that, Tipco built 6 other reactors on the site, each of which brought additional revenues to the municipalities.The last of which was launched, Unit 7, in July 1997.

However, fears related to the safety of the facility have resolved.In July 2007, the Chitsu Marine earthquake set a fire and caused radiological leakage, forcing all reactors to stop working for a period of time.After the new procedures that adhere to the rules of the Nuclear Control Authority, many units have been restarted, but they were stopped indefinitely after an East Japan's Grand earthquake and collapses in Fukushima Daihi in March 2011.

The prolonged closure effect on the economic luxury of societies.A visit to the shopping gales, next to the Kashiwazaki station and the city's entertainment area, reveals an amazing number of closed stores, a situation that has been exacerbated by the Korona pandemic.The population of Kashiwazaki, which was already agitated quickly, shrunk from 90,000 in 2010 to 81 thousand in 2020.It can be assumed that the demographic trend in the village.As in UNAGWA, the objections that the population may have to restart the reactors will be almost confirmed to the most urgent considerations related to jobs and revitalizing the local economy..

Safety cost balance

The election results in November 2020 indicate strong public approval to restart the reactor.The Kashiwazaki residents have re -elected Mayor Sakurai Masherao, who supports restarting, for a second term in a landslide victory over an anti -nuclear energy competitor, while Kariwiah Kariwa chose Mayor Shinada Hiro for a sixth term and is also a supporter of the use of nuclear energy.The majority of members of the local association in both cities also support the resumption of operations at the factory.

The recent events that affect the Kashiwazaki - Cario nuclear power plant

On the other hand, the governorate government has taken a studied approach to the resumption of the Kashiwazaki-Ario Factory, including the establishment of its own supervisory committee to verify the causes of the accident in Fukushima Daeichi and postpone the debate on the restart of Unit 7 until the authority issues its final report.However, with the exception of a member or more of the committee members who expressed their opposition, it is expected that the governor of Niego Hanazumi HIV will witness the restart before the elections of the governorate governor to be held in June 2022 to prevent the problem from affecting the race.It remains to see to what extent will the recently discovered safety defects affect this schedule.

The central government is still keen to restart the Kashiwazaki - Cario.Since Japan is slowly transmitted from carbon -based fuel to renewable energy sources to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, it plans for nuclear energy to provide 30 % of the country's energy needs.

In the end, the decisive factor will be safety.Tebco has invested so far 1.2 trillion yen in the update of the Kashiwazaki-Duwa Station and spent a long time and energy to promote its efforts.In wiping the strict regulations of the Nuclear Control Authority, it appears that the tool has proven that there is no doubt that it is safe to restart reactors again.While there is no denial that the comprehensive safety measures developed by the Nuclear Supervision Authority have strengthened the facility's ability to withstand known risks such as natural disasters, there is nothing that tells us about new and unexpected threats that may be just around the corner.Understanding this makes it difficult for many people, including me, to trust the nuclear energy safety.

It may be clear that the recent security failures, despite being fatal, would not have allowed an intruder to infiltrate the station without being discovered.However, it clarifies the continuous risks of neglect, poor judgment, procedural failure, and other human errors, which are factors that cannot even be able to do the most striking material procedures from them..

The government, despite the great public uncertainty, is committed to proceeding with its plans to restart the reactors in the country again.In the face of this reality, it is necessary for citizens to understand the situation and the situation of nuclear energy in Japan and to decide themselves whether they can live with it or choose to dispense with it..

(The original article is published in Japanese, translation from English.Address: Unit 6, on the right, and unit 7 at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Energy Station. الصورة منKyodo News)