Almost all of the nuclear fuel in the No. 3 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant melted within days of the March 11, 2011, disaster, according to a new estimate by Tokyo Electric Power Co. TEPCO originally estimated that about 60 percent of the nuclear fuel melted at the reactor. But the latest estimate released on Aug. 6 revealed that the fuel started to melt about six hours earlier than previously thought.Thanks TEPCO, any further words of reassurance you can provide those concerned about the safety of nuclear power?
The utility plans to start fuel removal operations at the No. 3 reactor no earlier than in the latter half of fiscal 2021.Oh, sure, sounds swell...and quite an endorsement on the safety of radioactivity.
[cross-posted at Firedoglake]
4 comments:
the problem in the U.S. is these pesky agencies that get in the way.take note republicans, this is further proof that industry can and will regulate itself. everything, banking, manufacturing cars, hospital care, even nuclear energy providers always have our best interests at heart.
Shorter TEPCO: "We're hoping we can hire radiation-immune mutants to clean the site up, so we'll wait and see what happens."
I think that it is telling that their timetable is announced, not in terms of late 2021, but instead as late in "fiscal" 2021. This shows that their decisions are again being made with an emphasis on the bottom line.
"It is well known we now have the problem relatively under control!"
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