The Fukushima Nuclear Disaster: Finally! An Important Update, As Japanese Officials Are Claiming They Will Start Removing "Nuclear Debris" From Failed Reactors In 2021!

It has indeed been a very long time since I last was able to put an important update here at this blog concerning the still ONGOING nuclear disaster at Fukushima Japan... Unbeknownst to most people, this crisis is still going as strong as ever, as the failed reactor cores at the Fukushima Daichii facility are still spewing their nuclear radioactive residues into both the Japanese countryside and directly into the Pacific Ocean.... The criminals in charge of even attempting to clean up that mess, both Tokyo Electric Power Corporation as well as the Japanese government have been more concerned in keeping the fact that the disaster is still going as strong as ever from the general public, rather than actually call out to the world for help in fixing this mess.... Thus, most everyone is under the belief that the disaster is somehow "under control" when the facts are vastly different..However, there appears to be at least some light on the horizon in terms of cleaning up the mess at Fukushima, for according to the following report from the Kyodo News online news service, at www.kyodonews.net, apparently the most difficult job of even attempting to clean up the nuclear debris from the 2011 disaster will begin in "2021"....  Here is that report for all to see for themselves, and I do have my own thoughts and comments to follow:Fukushima nuclear debris removal to begin in 2021 KYODO NEWS - Dec 3, 2019 - 02:08 | AllJapanThe Japanese government said Monday the process of removing melted fuel from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, considered the most difficult part of cleaning up the crisis-hit facility, will start in 2021.Among the three reactors that suffered a meltdown following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, work will begin at the No. 2 unit because it is the easiest and safest bet, the government said in its latest decommissioning plan.The plan calls for completing the removal of the 4,741 fuel rods left inside the cooling pools of the Nos. 1 to 6 reactors by 2031, giving a specific time frame for the first time."As more people return and rebuilding progresses in the areas around the Daiichi plant, we will take measures based on the basic principle of balancing rebuilding and decommissioning," said industry minister Hiroshi Kajiyama, who heads the government task force on decommissioning.(Photo taken in Fukushima Prefecture on Aug. 10, 2018, shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.)The plan, revised for the fifth time, maintains the outlook of completing the decommissioning of the plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. in 30 to 40 years following the meltdowns triggered by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011.But given issues that have caused frequent delays, it remains uncertain whether the plan will proceed as scheduled.The No. 2 unit was in operation when the crisis began and some fuel has apparently melted through the reactor pressure vessel that holds the fuel and accumulated at the bottom of the outer primary containment vessel.Among the three reactors that experienced core meltdowns, the reactor building housing the No. 2 unit was the only one that did not suffer a hydrogen explosion. The radiation levels near its containment vessel are also estimated to be lower than the others.According to a person with knowledge of the matter, TEPCO plans to initially insert a robot arm into a hole in the containment vessel and extract small amounts of nuclear debris -- around 1 gram -- at a time, and gradually move up to removing several kilograms a day.The process could take several years for the No. 2 unit alone, which according to one estimate contains 237 tons of debris. Together, the Nos. 1 to 3 units are said to house 880 tons of debris.An earlier plan called for taking samples from the reactor in fiscal 2019 ending in March prior to removing the debris, but the revised plan states the two steps will happen at the same time, and that the scope of the debris removal will expand through 2031.Spent fuel from the reactors is being kept in their respective cooling pools to prevent it from melting. The spent fuel is slated to eventually be moved along with some unspent fuel to a nearby common pool for longer term storage, although its final destination has yet to be decided.All fuel has been removed from the pool of the No. 4 unit, which was being halted for a regular checkup at the time of the crisis, and the removal of fuel from the No. 3 unit began in April. The same work will begin at the Nos. 1 and 2 unit in fiscal 2023, according to the latest plan.Related coverage:Nuclear watchdog approves restart of Miyagi reactor hit by 2011 tsunamiPope airs opposition to nuclear energy over safety risksJapan gov't says safe to release contaminated Fukushima water into oceanNTS Notes: I have a few words to say about this report claiming that they will be able to "start cleaning up" the left over debris from the failed reactor cores and the 2011 explosions... "Good Luck to that one!" ...I have seen too many truthful reports over the last few years concerning Fukushima, where the reports have stated clearly that there is no way in hell that anyone will be able to actually even get close to the failed cores directly due to the extremely high and deadly radiation involved... Even robotic probes have had difficulty in getting close enough to the failed cores to take pictures due to the extreme radiation frying their on-board circuitry! .... I have also seen so many reports that state that due to the extremely high radiation still spewing out of the failed cores, new technology will have to be developed to even attempt a major clean up and to shut down those cores.... I seriously doubt therefore that the new technology required to do this clean up will even be developed and in place by "2021"....I therefore look at this report as being "optimistic", and as a method of assuring the Japanese people and the world that something is indeed being done at Fukushima.... In reality, the failed cores will most probably continue to spew their garbage onto the planet for decades to come.....What does concern me, and should everyone else, at this point in time is the fact that even though Fukushima is as dangerous as ever, the Japanese government has been telling a lot of Fukushima's residents that it is now "safe" to return to their homes within the hot zone around the failed facility... To me, this is an outrage, as the radiation levels are still dangerous to human health and the radioactive residues that spewed into the countryside from the original March 2011 explosion are still there in abundance.... Again, to me this is politics and not real rationality at play here....AND we cannot forget the fact that next year, the Olympic Games will be in nearby Tokyo.... I have been filing reports for months now in my weekend rants calling the impending Tokyo Olympics the "radioactive games" and have not found anything to change that stance..... Athletes going to Tokyo next year should be packing radioactive suits as well as geiger counters besides their athletic gear!More to comeNTS