Fukushima 7 years after nuclear disaster

March 11, 2018, is true to the 7th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Just like every year, Japan stopped all activities at 14:46, that is, at the time of the March 11, 2011 earthquake, accompanied by tsunamis and nuclear disasters.

Like every year, an official ceremony was held in Tokyo in the presence of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Prince Akishino and his wife, representing the Japanese Royal Family, along with disaster survivors.

In total, more than 18,000 people were killed or missing in the intense earthquake with magnitude 9 and tsunami. But more than 3,600 people died afterwards, most of them in the Fukushima region, due to illness or suicide.

Although officially, the Fukushima nuclear accident did not kill anyone, but it caused more than 73,000 people to evacuate to avoid being exposed to radiation.

Meanwhile, the remedy of the consequences of the most serious nuclear accident since Chernobyl 1986 will last for many years.

Situation of reactors at Fukushima nuclear plant

Now the demolition of this nuclear plant is ongoing and a new important step will begin this year, with the removal of fuel in the reservoir of one of the plant's reactors.

The core of three reactors from No. 1 to No. 3 were melted during the accident and still needed constant cooling. TEPCO, which is the plant operator, is still determining the exact location of the melted fuel in these three reactors, in order to continue to prepare the necessary conditions for taking that fuel. out.

Right now, people have to use robots to get inside the reactors. TEPCO said it was necessary to develop technical means to carry out fuel removal from the reactors and they could only start doing this by 2021.

Radioactive water tanks were partially treated at Fukushima.(Photo taken on February 23, 2017.REUTERS / Tomohiro Ohsumi / Pool).

However, this year Tepco will start taking fuel out of the reservoir of the No.3 reactor. Last February, they built a roof over the reservoir to prevent radioactive material from escaping when taken. fuel out.

In the No.4 reactor, because the core was not melted, the fuel collection in the reactor reservoir ended at the end of 2014.

The two reactors 5 and 6 are not much damaged, so there are not many special difficulties.

Handling of radioactive water sources

A huge amount of water was used to cool the reactors, not to mention the amount of rainwater contaminated with radiation when passing through the nuclear plant. In total there are now about 1 million cubic meters of radioactive water being stored in the factory area, mainly in one thousand containers. This volume of water increases every day. However, TEPCO said it has succeeded in reducing the pace of increasing the volume of radioactive water.

Since mid-2017, people have built an "ice wall" to avoid surrounding water from being contaminated with radiation. To limit the spread of radiation, a waterproofing wall was erected from 2016 on the sea side, and the land of the plant was completely filled with concrete.

Radioactive water has been partially treated, but it is not yet known which solution to purify one of the radioactive isotopes, tritium. Some experts suggest pouring the amount of radioactive water into the sea, but the Japanese government has not taken any decisions. According to Satoru Toyomoto, one of Fukushima's officials in the dismantling of the Japan Industrial Ministry, they are discussing different options.

Storage of solid waste of nuclear plants

Tepco plans to store 750,000 cubic meters of solid waste from here in 2029, including part of radioactive waste, compared with 350,000 cubic meters last year. Four warehouses for solid waste storage were completed and the second warehouse was constructed last month.

Working conditions of workers at Fukushima

About 6000,000 people now work every day at the Fukushima nuclear plant area, down from previous years. According to TEPCO, the working conditions of this team are improving gradually. During the period from April 2017 to December 2017, there were 58 workers infected more than 20 millisievert, the annual limit for those working at nuclear plants, according to TEPCO's appraisal. During the period from 4/2016 to 3/2017, this figure is 216 people.

The problem is that for decades, Tepco still needs a lot of highly qualified staff to work at the Fukushima plant, which now few Japanese people want to work in nuclear power. However, the company claims that demand for workers is still "stable".

Japanese public opinion divided on nuclear energy

Since 2015, the Japanese government has restarted its nuclear plants, after closing all of the Fukushima disaster. But Japanese people do not fully agree with this. From Kyoto, correspondent Alexandre Barbe sent the report:

As time went on, in the minds of Japanese people, the memory of this disaster is gradually fading away. Kaito expressed his regret: "I have a feeling that people are becoming less and less aware of what happened, while there is a lot of work to do in the reconstruction. Everyone has to keep a close watch on the situation. Personally, as a Japanese citizen, I really want to do something for the accident areas. "

In addition to reconstruction and evacuation, there is a problem that is dividing Japanese public opinion: how to deal with nuclear power plants? For Yusuke, it is necessary to restart those factories. According to him, the Japanese economy still needs atomic energy. However, consider the risk of accidents or terrorism, to have a proper balance.

But for Seiko, the risk of recurring nuclear disaster is too great for economic benefits. She said:

"I used to stay in Kobe when the earthquake occurred in 1995 and in Tokyo when the earthquake in 2011. So I think this catastrophe will recur. Will Japan really need atomic energy or not? Since after the Fukushima accident, people have been told to save energy and the fact that we are still living comfortably while almost all of nuclear power stops working. Why should I restart nuclear power plants?

While the government of Shinzo Abe's prime minister wants to resume the nuclear energy industry, only one-third of Japanese people support this, according to polls.

Because there are very few natural resources, without nuclear, Japan can only produce 6% of the necessary energy, mainly from foreign countries. In 2010, with all the nuclear power plants operating, Japan was still only 20% self-sufficient in energy. "

Looking back at the tsunami disaster - Fukushima nuclear.