How Many Nuclear Plants Are REALLY Screwed-Up In Japan?!

www.usatoday.com...

So, the main story is about the huge storm that just wrecked Japan today... but in the article I read something that I don't think I was ever made aware of...

Cooling of a spent fuel storage pool each at two separate nuclear power plants in northern Japan temporarily stopped when pumps stopped due to power failure, but resumed in about 30 minutes without affecting safety, their operator Tohoku Electric Power Co. said.

The Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant that suffered meltdowns at three reactors after last year's tsunami was unaffected by the storm.

Now, I'm not trying to fear-monger here... I am asking a question to those who might know more about this situation, and the industry than I...

Is it normal to have to cool storage pools with water pumps... to the point that a power-outage for 30 minutes runs the risk of affecting safety?

And this isn't even talking about the Fukushima plant... these are two other locations that are being water-cooled.

What other plants are in northern Japan they could be referring to? Why are they being water-cooled with pumps? And why are they in a serious enough state that a 30-minute outage of the pumps affects safety measures?

This has me extremely curious, and I would love some input on this.

How Many Nuclear Plants Are REALLY Screwed-Up In Japan?!

Isn't 1 screwed up reactor 1 too many?
I'm so glad I don't live in Japan, CA, Washington, western Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, or Haiti. Have we forgotten about Haiti already? Their cancer is happening now, ours will be 5 years down the road.

It seems to me that the Nuclear Policy in Japan is for every single reactor Japan has in service; it needs two back-up reactors, and the closer to the water the better.

The fact that all it takes is one (Fukushima) reactor to precipitate global fallout greater than that of the Chernobyl disaster, says volumes as what is to come when the next nuclear disaster strikes:









centuries?!

Originally posted by loveguy
It seems to me that the Nuclear Policy in Japan is for every single reactor Japan has in service; it needs two back-up reactors, and the closer to the water the better.

I'm not sure what that has to do with them cooling pools with water pumps... but I would love for you to elaborate on it if it does.

Any extra info?

Edit: Do you mean that Fukushima has two back-up reactors close by that they are cooling? Trying to figure out your post, but I think this may be where you were going with it.

reply to post by YouAreLiedTo


When the Fukushima situation was at the forefront of news I was looking up the other nuclear plants in the area and came up with:
In the North, NEAR Fukushima:

Onagawa - The three units remain in cold shutdown since the earthquake of 11 March. - en.wikipedia.org...

Tokai - shut down due to the Tsunami damage - en.wikipedia.org...

Fukushima Daiichi - en.wikipedia.org...

Fukushima Daini - en.wikipedia.org...

Higashidōri - This plant had to restart just to maintain the power to the cooling units needed to keep it from melting to hell - en.wikipedia.org...

Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant -There is a messload of radioactive material stored here and things haven't been so peachy there since the earthquakes and tsunami damaged structures that were being relied on for safe containment of the material - en.wikipedia.org...

So yea, this is what they didn't put on the news...and if you go to the wiki links provided you will see just how many reactors are at each one...there are more than 11 total in that area

reply to post by YouAreLiedTo

On this topic of other nuclear power plants in Japan I would just say this. First...no offense to the Japanese. I love the people and the culture and have nothing but respect for both.

Having said that...Their Government sucks and their nuclear energy industry strikes me as similar to the big unions here in the U.S.. The influence is all out of wack and the people at the very top have all the ethics of Garfield the cat.

I'll let you do the research and you may find more than you wanted to. I'd NEVER wish Fuku happened... Good lord, it's killing the world in very slow motion. However...It HAS pretty well killed nuke power in Japan and if anything good can be said to come of this, that is it. Google "Japan nuclear accidents" and then use the controls on the left side to set a date range that terminates BEFORE the tsunami and Fukushima ever became a name the media knew.

The stories that existed well before that aren't exactly encouraging..and again, at least they are shutting it all down. It's the only thing that is positive to say.

reply to post by YouAreLiedTo


As you can see if you checked out those wiki links there are a ton of reactors there and how many are compromised and leaking now?

Any guesses? Because I wholeheartedly doubt that anyone from Tepco will bother to tell the truth.

reply to post by Opportunia


Thank you VERY much for the reading material.

Very informative first post.

Welcome to ATS

-YALT

reply to post by YouAreLiedTo


Thanks for the welcome to ATS. I've been a nightly reader for many years. Most of it is not of interest to me, but this is the first time I've seen that question. I posted many times on CNN and other news sites and places asking about the other plants and conditions there but no one bothered to respond. So, I decided to look it up myself.

Many of those places are on so many fault lines they're all scared to pieces there now. Just read for yourself the reports in those wiki and you will see what I mean. This is very dire for anyone in Japan AND across the sea to the EAST. I am originally from Seattle and have many friends and family there so, I understand how devastating the fallout is already. They're finding dying seals and things in Alaska so...hold on to your hats folks, this could get a bit bumpy before it gets better.

Originally posted by YouAreLiedTo

Originally posted by loveguy
It seems to me that the Nuclear Policy in Japan is for every single reactor Japan has in service; it needs two back-up reactors, and the closer to the water the better.

I'm not sure what that has to do with them cooling pools with water pumps... but I would love for you to elaborate on it if it does.

Any extra info?

Edit: Do you mean that Fukushima has two back-up reactors close by that they are cooling? Trying to figure out your post, but I think this may be where you were going with it.

edit on 4-4-2012 by YouAreLiedTo because: (no reason given)

Hi.

Yeah, the smart guys who pushed for all them reactors along the water-line and to have only one back-up generator per (up to six reactors) parcel of land established for nuclear energy. They don't need nearly the number of reactors they utilize.

What I was saying is that Japan uses reactors instead of generators to keep all of their reactors "on-line", and capable of attaining cold-shutdown whenever necessary.

If they were smart, they'd put more stock in common sense and not subject humanity to such an easily preventable consequence.

If we knew how reliable off-site generators were, we wouldn't need nuclear.
If we researched and developed solar energy with the same ambition as nuclear, we wouldn't need nuclear.
We don't need nuclear energy to envelope us into a bubble of mutations, disfigurements, still-born, and whatever else is in store for us...just to keep the freaking lights on!

Thanks for letting me rant.

reply to post by loveguy


Exactly,

Onagawa - 3

Tokai - 2

Fukushima Daichi - 6 and had two more planned that are now scrapped

Fukushima Daini - 4

Higashidori - 4 - Two run by Tohoku Electric and Two run by Tokyo Electric

And then what ever piles of stuff they have at the "Processing Plant" call it a landfill for their nuclear stuff? Who knows.....

That puts the number at 14+ nuclear reactors -

ALL near the area where the 2011 Earthquake & Tsunami and ALL were effected in some way from the major event in 2011 leaving most unfuncional as power resources. Alot of them are leaking who knows what into the air and ground. It's sad when they try to take shortcuts and it blows up in their face like that, then millions of innocent people who PAID these inept people to give them electricity, have their lives devastated and changed FOREVER. Major FAIL

If it weren't for that nuclear fiasco there, those people would be REBUILDING their homes right over the old ones. THAT is ... I have no words for this.
- edit - changed my mind I do have some words for this - Narcicistic- Misanthropic - Devoid of any concern for humal life ...that's what think of when I see these power company execs who put this nuclear mess together. And are now hiding behind their poor workers. The execs should be the ones going in there in rubber suits trying to keep those rods cool.