This is the Japanese government’s efforts to restart nuclear power plants, which were recently introduced to the Japanese media. Even in the 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, the start of the removal of debris (melted nuclear fuel rod remains) has been delayed by one year. However, the Japanese government has devised a strategy to continue to use nuclear power plants for decarbonization and stable power supply, and the economic community is also making voices of restarting and new expansion.
March 11, 2011 @ 2:26pm. A magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred off the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, Tohoku (Tohoku), Japan. As a tsunami of up to 13m in height at the Fukushima nuclear power plant adjacent to the sea came and the supply of electricity and cooling water was cut off, the core containing the fuel rod became hot and melted, causing’core melting’. After that, a hydrogen explosion followed, and radioactive substances such as cesium and iodine were released to the outside. Of the six nuclear reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, units 1 to 4 were flooded, and core melting occurred at units 1 to 3.
▶ Voice of “Restarting, building, and expanding nuclear power plants”
The Japanese government set the goal of decommissioning (dismantling the nuclear reactor) of the Fukushima nuclear power plant from the end of 2011 to 30-40 years (2041-2051). Tokyo Electric Power Co., Ltd. has been carrying out work to take out fuel rods after use, but recently delayed this by one year after maintaining its policy to start taking out Debris this year, one of the core of the decommissioning work. Debris is a mass of radioactive material in which melted fuel and metal are entangled together, and is the core work of the nuclear reactor. The production of a robot arm to be used for export of Debris was entrusted to a British company, but production is being delayed due to Corona 19. The Japanese government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. settled 22 trillion yen to respond to the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, but delays in decommissioning could increase the cost.
The Japanese government is struggling as much as the decommissioning problem is the problem of treating’polluted water’, which occurs about 140 tons a day. After the accident, Tokyo Electric Power poured a lot of coolant into the nuclear power plant to cool the core, and afterwards, rainwater and groundwater flowed in, resulting in contaminated water mixed with radioactive materials. TEPCO purifies 62 kinds of radioactive materials through the’multi-nuclei removal facility’ and stores them in 1,000 tanks built inside the nuclear power plant site. However, tritium (tritium), a radioactive material that is technically difficult to remove, remains in the contaminated water. Currently, about 90% of the 1,000 tanks are full. There is a possibility that the Japanese government will try to’offshore discharge’ before all tanks are full next fall.
Despite the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident, Japan is embracing its plan to continue to use nuclear power as a power source in the era of decarbonization. According to the Japanese government’s’Green Growth Strategy’, the goal is to consist of 50-60% of renewable energy (offshore wind power, etc.), 30-40% of thermal power and nuclear power, and 10% of hydrogen and ammonia in 2050. In 2050, nuclear power will still be used as an energy source. After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, all nuclear power plants were once stopped, and there are currently 9 units in operation again. It is estimated that nuclear power plants account for 6% of Japan’s electricity sources. Regarding the nuclear power plant, Vice Chairman Ochi Hitoshi Keidanren explained that “the balance is excellent (in terms of supply stability, economic efficiency, and environment),” and that “new, expansion and renovation of nuclear power plants should be incorporated into the government policy.”
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