NEI Nuclear Notes

From NucNet : Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has begun work to remove contaminated water that has accumulated in the turbine building basements at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said. Workers have started to remove water from the unit 1 turbine building to its main condenser and are preparing to do the same at unit 2. Work to remove water from the turbine buildings in units 3 and 4 is being considered. The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) confirmed that Tepco had taken “immediate action” to drain off the water so recovery work is not delayed. Good news.

This is the kind of editorial that pops up more frequently, from the Lexington Herald-Leader (actually, an op-ed in this case): Should Kentucky reconsider nuclear power, which now provides 20 percent of this nation's electricity? Maybe so. We're in no position to ignore any source of energy. But Japan's disaster reminds us nuclear power is an imperfect, unforgiving technology that can be dangerous and costly. And Kentucky, of course, provides a fairly good case study when one is of a mixed mind: Coal provides half the nation's power and more than 90 percent of Kentucky's power. Electricity has been cheap in this state, because many of the health and environmental costs of mining and burning coal have been ignored. That is changing, because it must. We’re not completely sure about “must,” but let’s hear out the argument: We must invest in research and technology to mine, drill and burn coal and oil more cleanly and efficiently. We must incorpor...

Dr. David Brenner, director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University offers interesting comments at the New York Times today. It’s a meta story about a expert who has been asked by various media outlets to share his views . “People are very worried, which is not surprising,” he said. “We want people to be able to make some kind of realistic assessment.” In the week or so after the earthquake, he did about 30 interviews with reporters, he said, “some good, some dreadful.” Some interviewers tried to push him to say the danger was much greater than he believed it to be. He resisted, and canceled one appearance when he realized that the host group had a strong anti-nuclear agenda. Can’t say that’s a big surprise. As for Dr. Brenner: Asked whether he was for or against nuclear power, he paused, then said, “I think there is a role for safe nuclear power.” Worth a read. Dr. Brenner engages in speculation about outcomes – it seems to me to early...

From NEI’s Japan earthquake launch page: UPDATE AS OF 9:30 A.M. EDT, MARCH 27: Tokyo Electric Power Co. workers on Sunday were using pumps to remove highly contaminated water from the basement of the turbine building of reactors 1 and 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. TEPCO also was preparing to remove water from the turbine building of reactor 3. Removal of the contaminated water is necessary to continue power restoration to the plant. By Sunday, water injection to the pressure vessels at reactors 1, 2 and 3 had been switched from seawater to freshwater. Off-site power has been restored to all units and work to connect equipment is ongoing. Progress is being slowed by high radiation levels and wet equipment. TEPCO said that earlier reports of extremely high radiation levels measured in the water in the basement of the reactor 2 turbine building were inaccurate, according to news reports.

From NEI’s Japan earthquake launch page: UPDATE AS OF 6 P.M. EDT, MARCH 26 At this time, sources such as the International Atomic Energy Agency , Tokyo Electric Power Company and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency have reported no new developments at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. NEI will report on any new developments on this website on Sunday morning. 

Reuters has up a slide show of scenes from earthquake ravaged Japan. We really ought to pause, even on this blog, and acknowledge that Fukushima Daiichi is not  all that requires our attention. Much of the country is in tatters. The rebuilding process will be a testament to the resilience of the Japanese people – let it start soon. If you haven’t given money to the relief effort, here’s a spot to find legitimate charities accepting donations. A man stands amidst the destruction in Kesennuma City on March 15, 2011, days after the area was devastated by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami.

What about electric cars ? Plans in Europe call for about 1 million EVs on the road by 2020, and a lot that push centers around increasing the number of nuclear power plants to feed these vehicles. Let's face it, an EV that's charged via electricity generated at an oil or coal-burning plant doesn't do much to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels, so nuclear makes a lot of sense. And as costly and time-consuming as it is to erect a nuclear facility, it's likely easier and less expensive than relying on solar, wind or hydro-electric energy sources. So what does all this have to do with electric vehicles? If the events unfolding in Japan lead governments to question the safety and viability of nuclear power, then new plants will be slow to come online. If car buyers know that their EV is likely burning the same CO2-emitting fossil fuels as their neighbor's internal combustion engine, what's the point of paying more for something that's just as dirty,...