The 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Disaster and Current Situation

Here are questions and answers about the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster and developments after that.

Q: What happened on March 11, 2011?

A: At 2:46 p.m., a 9.0-magnitude earthquake jolted off northeastern Japan, causing tsunamis about 15 meters high that hit areas of the Pacific coast.

The collage shows a tsunami-hit area (top) in Utsushi, Iwate Prefecture, on March 27, 2011, about two weeks after the earthquake-induced disaster in northeastern Japan, and the same area (bottom) pictured on February 1, 2021. (Kyodo).

Q: How did it affect the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant?

A: The tsunami that followed the massive earthquake swept the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant with six reactors now operated by Tokyo Electric Holdings Corporation in Futaba and Akuma on the Pacific coast.

Reactors No. 1-3 were automatically closed due to strong vibration and were initially cooled by backup generators. But the tsunami floods cut the power supply of units 1 to 5, causing cooling systems to fail. Units 4 through 6 were offline due to maintenance at the time.

Q: What was the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in the immediate aftermath of the disaster?

A: Reactors No. 1-3 subsequently suffered major collapses, while hydrogen explosions destroyed buildings housing Units 1, 3, and 4. About 160,000 people were evacuated at some point. On 20 March, No. 5-6 reactors were closed on the cold.

The attached photo shows the fourth floor of the building housing Reactor No. 4 of the failed Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima Prefecture on June 10, 2011. The building suffered an explosion, possibly caused by hydrogen. (Photo courtesy of Tokyo Electric Power Company) (Kyodo)

Q: How did the government respond in the aftermath of the disaster?

A: On the day of the disaster, the government declared a state of nuclear emergency and directed the residents within a 3 km radius to evacuate. On March 12, the government expanded the evacuation zone to a 10-kilometer radius from the station. After hydrogen exploded in the building of Reactor No. 1, the government again expanded the evacuation area to a radius of 20 km.

In December 2011, the government and TEPCO announced plans to cancel No. 1-4 reactors within 30 to 40 years. In 2013 the facility decided to permanently close 5 to 6 units as well.

A photo taken on December 6, 2020, in Iitate, a northeastern Japanese village near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, shows a fence erected on a road to prevent entry into a restricted area prior to the 10th anniversary of the earthquake – the tsunami and the subsequent nuclear crisis. (Kyodo)

Q: How has the Japanese nuclear energy policy changed in the wake of the disaster?

A: Japan shut down all of its commercial nuclear reactors by May 2011 and launched the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, a new nuclear regulatory body, in September 2012 to oversee stricter operating rules.

New safety standards introduced in 2013, which are mandatory for reactors’ restart, oblige plant operators to build facilities that can withstand natural disasters as well as terrorist attacks, such as the aircraft being flown onto, without incurring serious damage such as leakage of radioactive materials. Materials.

Due to the high costs of implementing new safety measures imposed by the government, some energy companies have decided to shut down their plants.

As of February 8, 2021, nine reactors have been restarted to the most stringent safety standards. Four of them are currently in operation.

There are 18 others in various stages of the approval process. A total of 24 reactors are slated to be decommissioned, including six at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, while nine have not progressed to restart.

Under the country’s latest energy strategy towards fiscal year 2030, which was put together in 2018, Japan aims to have renewables at 22 to 24 percent, fossil fuels at 56 percent, and nuclear energy 20 to 22 percent in generation Electricity in the country.

Q: What is the comparison between the Fukushima nuclear crisis and Chernobyl?

A: The Fukushima plant collapse was ranked seventh on the international level for the level of severity of the nuclear crisis, on par with the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. They are the only two accidents that have been rated at this level so far.

Q: What is the current evacuation situation around Fukushima’s reactors?

A: With the decrease in radiation levels due to natural attenuation as well as removal of topsoil and decontamination of buildings, evacuation orders have been gradually lifted in the areas surrounding the affected plant. The exclusion zone now occupies approximately 337 square kilometers, or 30 percent of what it used to be at its extremes, but still equates to more than half of the area covered by the 23 suites in central Tokyo.

Areas in seven municipalities, including Futaba and Okuma, are still designated as no-go areas due to high levels of radiation. There are no estimates when the entry ban to these areas will be removed. Japan lifted the evacuation order in some parts of Futaba in March 2020, but no one is able to live there.

A photo taken on January 15, 2021, in Futaba town in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, shows a building with a steel skeleton that was hit by a tsunami in March 2011. (Kyodo)

Q: What is the state of decommissioning of the Fukushima reactors?

A: TEPCO says the shutdown of the defective facility could continue into 2051, although there are doubts about whether it can stick to this timeframe in the face of several technical challenges.

The removal of all fuel rods from the Unit 4 spent fuel tank was completed in December 2014. The removal of the fuel rods for Unit 3 was completed on Sunday. In December 2019, the government decided to postpone the start of removing spent fuel from the plant’s two reactor complexes 1-2 for a period of up to five years from fiscal year 2023, initially scheduled to take more safety precautions.

It has also not decided how to dispose of the approximately 1.24 million tons of low-toxic radioactive tritium-contaminated water stored in building tanks, although space is expected to run out by the fall of 2022 at the earliest. The plant has been producing huge quantities of water contaminated with radiation since the accident because it needs water to cool the reactors.

The Japanese government is considering the option of releasing the water, which has been treated with an advanced liquid treatment system to remove most pollutants other than the relatively less toxic tritium, into the sea. But it has yet to make a final decision amid stiff opposition from the local fishing industry over reputational concerns over marine products.

The photo, taken in the town of Okuma in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, on January 29, 2021, shows workers in protective suits marching in a still off-limits area nearly 10 years after the March 2011 earthquake disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. (Kyodo)

Q: Did the government or TEPCO take responsibility for what happened?

A: Around 30 state compensation claims and TEPCO over the disaster have been filed across Japan by more than 10,000 people who were forced to evacuate on government orders or voluntarily fled.

While some courts acknowledged that both the government and public utilities were negligent in preparing for a tsunami like the one that struck the facility, others only ordered TEPCO to pay compensation.

In the only criminal trial that arose out of the disaster, three former TEPCO executives were indicted in 2016 for failing to implement countermeasures to the tsunami that left 44 people dead. But the Tokyo District Court acquitted them in September 2019.

The government denied responsibility for the disaster, saying it was not expecting the nuclear reactor to flood due to the tsunami.

Related Coverage:

Focus: a decades-long challenge to cancel the Fukushima plant by 2051 in trouble

The stoppage of the post-Fukushima reactor results in inexperienced nuclear plant workers in Japan

Antinuke Group urges Japan to attend the first UN nuclear ban meeting

.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos

Picture Credit!