Wed Jan 25, 2012
TOKYO Jan 25 (Reuters) - Crude steel output in Japan is set to fall slightly in 2012 from the year before due to weak domestic demand and exports, an industry body said on Wednesday.
Eiji Hayashida, chairman of the Iron and Steel Industry Federation, said production would drop by around 2-3 million tonnes from 107.6 million tonnes in 2011.
Hayashida, also head of JFE Holdings, added that Tokyo Electric Power Co's plan to increase rates for corporate customers would be hard for steel makers to stand.
The utility, known as Tepco, is struggling in the aftermath of the disaster at its Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
(sourced Reuters)
Showing posts with label TEPCO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TEPCO. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, October 31, 2011
J-Power to use 1 mln tonnes more coal in 2011/12
Mon Oct 31, 2011
* Power wholesaler ups coal plant utilisation rate to 80 pct
* President says does not give up on first nuclear plant
TOKYO Oct 31 (Reuters) - Electric Power Development Co (J-Power) expects to consume 22 million tonnes of thermal coal in the year ending in March, up 1 million tonnes from a year earlier in the wake of the nuclear disaster in March.
J-Power, Japan's wholesale power producer and biggest thermal coal user, revised up its coal-fired plant utilisation rate to 80 percent in 2011/12 from its April projection of 72 percent. The run rate compared with 78 percent in the year ended in March.
In the six months to September, J-Power, which operates 7 coal-fired plants with total capacity of 8,410 megawatts, used 10.45 million tonnes of coal.
J-Power also raised its electricity sale projection for the current year to March 2012 to 65.9 billion kilowatt-hours from its April outlook of 59.5 billion, helped by a fall in nuclear plant utilisation of its customer utilities to a record low amid public concerns over safety.
J-Power has indefinitely suspended construction work on the Ohma nuclear plant in northern Japan since March 12, a day after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated the northeast coastline, crippled the Fukushima nuclear station and resulted in a halt of supply of power and building materials for the Ohma plant's construction.
But the company's President Masayoshi Kitamura said he was not considering giving up the project to build the firm's first nuclear plant, even though it would take more time than previously planned.
PLAN TO BUILD FIRST NUCLEAR PLANT
The country's nuclear watchdog has given an approval to the project under the latest safety guidelines.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has said that nuclear power could play a role for decades with ensured safety in the wake of the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in the northeast.
But it is not yet clear if the government's post-Fukushima energy policy, which is to be finalised next year, will allow the Ohma project to complete.
J-Power is preparing to tell local authorities in Aomori prefecture its intention to resume the construction work, but the time does not seem ripe yet, Kitamura said.
"It may take time, but we have to proceed with necessary steps one by one ... to get support from a majority of local communities," Kitamura told reporters on the sidelines of a news conference on its earnings.
J-Power has kept unchanged its outlook to start commercial operations of the 1,383 MW Ohma plant in November 2014. But Kitamura said that the schedule looks difficult to meet.
(sourced Reuters)
* Power wholesaler ups coal plant utilisation rate to 80 pct
* President says does not give up on first nuclear plant
TOKYO Oct 31 (Reuters) - Electric Power Development Co (J-Power) expects to consume 22 million tonnes of thermal coal in the year ending in March, up 1 million tonnes from a year earlier in the wake of the nuclear disaster in March.
J-Power, Japan's wholesale power producer and biggest thermal coal user, revised up its coal-fired plant utilisation rate to 80 percent in 2011/12 from its April projection of 72 percent. The run rate compared with 78 percent in the year ended in March.
In the six months to September, J-Power, which operates 7 coal-fired plants with total capacity of 8,410 megawatts, used 10.45 million tonnes of coal.
J-Power also raised its electricity sale projection for the current year to March 2012 to 65.9 billion kilowatt-hours from its April outlook of 59.5 billion, helped by a fall in nuclear plant utilisation of its customer utilities to a record low amid public concerns over safety.
J-Power has indefinitely suspended construction work on the Ohma nuclear plant in northern Japan since March 12, a day after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated the northeast coastline, crippled the Fukushima nuclear station and resulted in a halt of supply of power and building materials for the Ohma plant's construction.
But the company's President Masayoshi Kitamura said he was not considering giving up the project to build the firm's first nuclear plant, even though it would take more time than previously planned.
PLAN TO BUILD FIRST NUCLEAR PLANT
The country's nuclear watchdog has given an approval to the project under the latest safety guidelines.
Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda has said that nuclear power could play a role for decades with ensured safety in the wake of the world's worst nuclear crisis in 25 years at Tokyo Electric Power Co's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex in the northeast.
But it is not yet clear if the government's post-Fukushima energy policy, which is to be finalised next year, will allow the Ohma project to complete.
J-Power is preparing to tell local authorities in Aomori prefecture its intention to resume the construction work, but the time does not seem ripe yet, Kitamura said.
"It may take time, but we have to proceed with necessary steps one by one ... to get support from a majority of local communities," Kitamura told reporters on the sidelines of a news conference on its earnings.
J-Power has kept unchanged its outlook to start commercial operations of the 1,383 MW Ohma plant in November 2014. But Kitamura said that the schedule looks difficult to meet.
(sourced Reuters)
Fukushima Released Record Radiation Into Sea
Monday, Oct 31, 2011
he destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan was responsible for the biggest discharge of radioactive material into the ocean in history, a study from a French nuclear safety institute said.
The radioactive cesium that flowed into the sea from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant was 20 times the amount estimated by its owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co., according to the study by the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, which is funded by the French government.
It’s the second report released in a week calling into question estimates from Japan’s government and the operator of the plant that was damaged in the March earthquake and tsunami. The Fukushima station may have emitted more than double the company’s estimate of atmospheric release at the height of the worst civil atomic crisis since Chernobyl in 1986, according to a study in the Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics journal.
The oceanic study estimates 27,000 terabecquerels of radioactive cesium 137 leaked into the sea from the Fukushima plant, north of Tokyo.
Tepco is aware of the estimate from the institute through media reports and has no comment, spokesman Hajime Motojuku said today by phone.
The three melted reactors and at least one damaged spent- fuel pool may have emitted 35,800 terabecquerels of cesium 137 into the atmosphere, according to Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics journal. The estimated amount is about 42 percent of that released into the atmosphere in the Chernobyl explosion in 1986, according to the study.
Japan’s nuclear regulator in June said 15,000 terabecquerels of cesium 137 was discharged.
Cesium 137 is a source of concern for public health because the radioactive isotope has a half-life of 30 years.
A becquerel represents one radioactive decay per second and involves the release of atomic energy, which can damage human cells and DNA. Prolonged exposure to radiation can cause leukemia and other forms of cancer, according to the World Nuclear Association. A terabecquerel is 1 million times 1 million becquerels.
(sourced Bloomberg)
he destroyed Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan was responsible for the biggest discharge of radioactive material into the ocean in history, a study from a French nuclear safety institute said.
The radioactive cesium that flowed into the sea from the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant was 20 times the amount estimated by its owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co., according to the study by the Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety, which is funded by the French government.
It’s the second report released in a week calling into question estimates from Japan’s government and the operator of the plant that was damaged in the March earthquake and tsunami. The Fukushima station may have emitted more than double the company’s estimate of atmospheric release at the height of the worst civil atomic crisis since Chernobyl in 1986, according to a study in the Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics journal.
The oceanic study estimates 27,000 terabecquerels of radioactive cesium 137 leaked into the sea from the Fukushima plant, north of Tokyo.
Tepco is aware of the estimate from the institute through media reports and has no comment, spokesman Hajime Motojuku said today by phone.
The three melted reactors and at least one damaged spent- fuel pool may have emitted 35,800 terabecquerels of cesium 137 into the atmosphere, according to Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics journal. The estimated amount is about 42 percent of that released into the atmosphere in the Chernobyl explosion in 1986, according to the study.
Japan’s nuclear regulator in June said 15,000 terabecquerels of cesium 137 was discharged.
Cesium 137 is a source of concern for public health because the radioactive isotope has a half-life of 30 years.
A becquerel represents one radioactive decay per second and involves the release of atomic energy, which can damage human cells and DNA. Prolonged exposure to radiation can cause leukemia and other forms of cancer, according to the World Nuclear Association. A terabecquerel is 1 million times 1 million becquerels.
(sourced Bloomberg)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Russia suspends seafood imports from Japan amid radiation fears
Wednesday, April06, 2011 22:42:53 |English.news.cn
MOSCOW, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia had suspended seafood imports from 242 Japanese companies due to fears of radiation contamination, Russia's food safety and sanitary watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, said in a Wednesday statement.
"The restrictions were introduced after an analysis of threats and risks which arose after the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant," the statement said.
However, Rosselkhoznadzor didn't say how long the ban would last.
According to local reports, Russia imported 57,000 tons of seafood from Japan last year.
Earlier this month, Japan called for calm over radiation concerns, but is itself considering imposing radioactivity restrictions on seafood for the first time after contaminated fish were found.
Also on Wednesday, the Fukushima plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said it had stopped highly radioactive water from flowing into the Pacific Ocean from the crippled plant by injecting a chemical compound. Editor: yan sourced: xinhua
MOSCOW, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia had suspended seafood imports from 242 Japanese companies due to fears of radiation contamination, Russia's food safety and sanitary watchdog, Rosselkhoznadzor, said in a Wednesday statement.
"The restrictions were introduced after an analysis of threats and risks which arose after the accident at the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant," the statement said.
However, Rosselkhoznadzor didn't say how long the ban would last.
According to local reports, Russia imported 57,000 tons of seafood from Japan last year.
Earlier this month, Japan called for calm over radiation concerns, but is itself considering imposing radioactivity restrictions on seafood for the first time after contaminated fish were found.
Also on Wednesday, the Fukushima plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said it had stopped highly radioactive water from flowing into the Pacific Ocean from the crippled plant by injecting a chemical compound. Editor: yan sourced: xinhua
Outflow of highly radioactive water into Pacific stopped: nuke operator
Wednesday, April06, 2011 09:03:51 |English.news.cn
The combo photo from Tokyo Electric Powershows adioactive contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant No. 2 reactor leaks through a crack in a concrete pit and drains into the ocean in Fukushima prefecture, northern Japan April 2, 2011 (Top) and the water leak halts on April 6, 2011 (Bottom). Operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex said on Wednesday it had stopped leaks of contaminated water with high levels of radiation into the ocean. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
TOKYO, April 6 (Xinhua) -- The outflow of highly radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has stopped after the injection of a chemical agent, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said Wednesday.
TEPCO, the nuclear plant operator, injected sodium silicate, also known as "water glass," and another agent near a seaside pit where the highly radioactive water had been seeping through to stem the leakage.
The nuclear plant has been severely damaged by the March 11 mega earthquake and ensuing tsunami.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Japan seeks Russian help to end nuclear crisis
Mon Apr 4, 2011 10:30pm GMT
* Japan seeks Russian radiation treatment ship
* Operators forced to release radioactive water into sea
* Bath salts, sea curtain sought to stop radiation leaks
* Nuclear crisis may weaken yen, economy to be hit
By Chizu Nomiyama and Shinichi Saoshiro
TOKYO, April 5 (Reuters) - Japan has asked nuclear superpower Russia to send a special radiation treatment ship used to decommission nuclear submarines as it fights to contain the world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl, Japanese media said late on Monday.
Japanese engineers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have been forced to release radioactive waste water into the sea. At the same time they are resorting to desperate measures to contain the damage, such as using bath salts to try to locate the source of leaks at the crippled complex 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo.
Three weeks after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami hit northeast Japan, sending some of Daiichi's reactors into partial meltdown, engineers are no closer to regaining control of the power plant or stopping radioactive leaks.
The quake and tsunami left nearly 28,000 people dead or missing and Japan's northeast coast a wreck.
The world's costliest natural disaster has caused power blackouts and cuts to supply chains and business hours. It is threatening economic growth and the yen, while a recent opinion poll suggested voters want embattled Prime Minister Naoto Kan to form a coalition in order to steer Japan through its worst crisis since World War Two.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) was forced on Monday to release low-level radioactive seawater that had been used to cool overheated fuel rods after it ran out of storage capacity for more highly contaminated water.
A TEPCO official was in tears as he told a news conference: "We are very sorry for this region and those involved."
The water, which is being released to free storage capacity for more highly contaminated water, is about 100 times more radioactive than legal limits. Koichi Nakamura, a deputy director-general of Japan's Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), told a news conference in Vienna about 11,500 tonnes of water would have to be discharged.
He also said Japan had not ruled out expanding the 20-km evacuation zone around the site.
Engineers planned to build two giant "silt curtains" made of polyester fabric in the sea to hinder the spread of more contamination from the plant.
Japan has also asked Russia for the "Suzuran", a ship which treats radioactive liquids, Kyodo and Jiji news agencies said.
The ship, a joint venture between Japan and Russia, was designed to help decommission nuclear submarines in Russia's Pacific fleet in Vladivostock, ensuring radioactive waste was not dumped into the Sea of Japan, Kyodo said.
It could take months to stem the leaks and longer to regain control of the power station, damaged by the March quake and tsunami, though a U.S. official in Vienna said there was no evidence the spent fuel in the reactors was restarting a nuclear reaction after being shut down.
DISASTER MAY SEE YEN WEAKEN
Japan, the world's third largest economy but also one of its most indebted nations, has estimated the damages bill may top $300 billion.
"The damage from the nuclear crisis and the subsequent power shortage will last for several years," said Eiji Hirano, former assistant governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ).
"There's a strong chance Japan's economy will contract in the current fiscal year," he told Reuters in an interview.
A former senior finance ministry official, Eisuke Sakakibara, said the yen would weaken in the coming months, possibly beyond 90 to the dollar, underlining expectations a near four-year rally in the currency may be over.
The yen traded at 84.05 per dollar early on Tuesday.
The disaster initially saw the yen soar on speculation Japanese would repatriate funds for reconstruction, prompting the G7 intervention to knock it back.
"This atomic power issue is an incident which would result in depreciation of the exchange rate," Sakakibara told reporters in Tokyo.
Unpopular and under pressure to quit or call a snap poll before the disaster, Prime Minister Kan has been criticised for his management of the disaster.
One newspaper poll said nearly two-thirds of voters wanted the government to form a coalition with the major opposition party and work together to recover from the disaster.
BATH SALTS, SEA CURTAIN
In their desperation to stop radioactive leaks, TEPCO engineers have used anything at hand. They have mixed sawdust and newspapers with polymers and cement in an unsuccessful attempt to seal a crack in a concrete pit at reactor No.2.
On Monday, they resorted to powdered bath salts to produce a milky colour in water to help trace the source of the leak.
TEPCO said it was also planning to drape a curtain into the sea off the nuclear plant to try to prevent radioactive silt drifting out into the ocean.
The exact source of the radiation leaks remains unknown. NISA is investigating a damaged embankment near a sluice gate at the No.2 reactor and the possibility it may be seeping through a layer of small stones below a concrete pipe.
TEPCO said it would build tanks to hold contaminated seawater, was towing a floating tank which will arrive next week, and was negotiating the purchase of three more.
"If the current situation continues for a long time, accumulating more radioactive substances, it will have a huge impact on the ocean," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
Small levels of radiation from the plant have been detected as far away as Europe and the United States and several countries have banned milk and produce from the vicinity.
Singapore extended a ban on Japanese food imports on Monday after detecting radiation in more fruit and vegetable imports. Kan asked the European Union on Monday for a calm response to Japanese imports. The EU has urged radiation testing of Japanese food and feed imports. (Additional reporting by Yoko Nishikawa, Yoko Kubota, Linda Sieg, Leika Kihara, Tetsushi Kajimoto in Tokyo and Sylvia Westall in Vienna; Writing by Michael Perry; Editing by Daniel Magnowski, sourced Reuters)
Japanese engineers at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have been forced to release radioactive waste water into the sea. At the same time they are resorting to desperate measures to contain the damage, such as using bath salts to try to locate the source of leaks at the crippled complex 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo.
Three weeks after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami hit northeast Japan, sending some of Daiichi's reactors into partial meltdown, engineers are no closer to regaining control of the power plant or stopping radioactive leaks.
The quake and tsunami left nearly 28,000 people dead or missing and Japan's northeast coast a wreck.
The world's costliest natural disaster has caused power blackouts and cuts to supply chains and business hours. It is threatening economic growth and the yen, while a recent opinion poll suggested voters want embattled Prime Minister Naoto Kan to form a coalition in order to steer Japan through its worst crisis since World War Two.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) was forced on Monday to release low-level radioactive seawater that had been used to cool overheated fuel rods after it ran out of storage capacity for more highly contaminated water.
A TEPCO official was in tears as he told a news conference: "We are very sorry for this region and those involved."
The water, which is being released to free storage capacity for more highly contaminated water, is about 100 times more radioactive than legal limits. Koichi Nakamura, a deputy director-general of Japan's Nuclear Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), told a news conference in Vienna about 11,500 tonnes of water would have to be discharged.
He also said Japan had not ruled out expanding the 20-km evacuation zone around the site.
Engineers planned to build two giant "silt curtains" made of polyester fabric in the sea to hinder the spread of more contamination from the plant.
Japan has also asked Russia for the "Suzuran", a ship which treats radioactive liquids, Kyodo and Jiji news agencies said.
The ship, a joint venture between Japan and Russia, was designed to help decommission nuclear submarines in Russia's Pacific fleet in Vladivostock, ensuring radioactive waste was not dumped into the Sea of Japan, Kyodo said.
It could take months to stem the leaks and longer to regain control of the power station, damaged by the March quake and tsunami, though a U.S. official in Vienna said there was no evidence the spent fuel in the reactors was restarting a nuclear reaction after being shut down.
DISASTER MAY SEE YEN WEAKEN
Japan, the world's third largest economy but also one of its most indebted nations, has estimated the damages bill may top $300 billion.
"The damage from the nuclear crisis and the subsequent power shortage will last for several years," said Eiji Hirano, former assistant governor of the Bank of Japan (BOJ).
"There's a strong chance Japan's economy will contract in the current fiscal year," he told Reuters in an interview.
A former senior finance ministry official, Eisuke Sakakibara, said the yen would weaken in the coming months, possibly beyond 90 to the dollar, underlining expectations a near four-year rally in the currency may be over.
The yen traded at 84.05 per dollar early on Tuesday.
The disaster initially saw the yen soar on speculation Japanese would repatriate funds for reconstruction, prompting the G7 intervention to knock it back.
"This atomic power issue is an incident which would result in depreciation of the exchange rate," Sakakibara told reporters in Tokyo.
Unpopular and under pressure to quit or call a snap poll before the disaster, Prime Minister Kan has been criticised for his management of the disaster.
One newspaper poll said nearly two-thirds of voters wanted the government to form a coalition with the major opposition party and work together to recover from the disaster.
BATH SALTS, SEA CURTAIN
In their desperation to stop radioactive leaks, TEPCO engineers have used anything at hand. They have mixed sawdust and newspapers with polymers and cement in an unsuccessful attempt to seal a crack in a concrete pit at reactor No.2.
On Monday, they resorted to powdered bath salts to produce a milky colour in water to help trace the source of the leak.
TEPCO said it was also planning to drape a curtain into the sea off the nuclear plant to try to prevent radioactive silt drifting out into the ocean.
The exact source of the radiation leaks remains unknown. NISA is investigating a damaged embankment near a sluice gate at the No.2 reactor and the possibility it may be seeping through a layer of small stones below a concrete pipe.
TEPCO said it would build tanks to hold contaminated seawater, was towing a floating tank which will arrive next week, and was negotiating the purchase of three more.
"If the current situation continues for a long time, accumulating more radioactive substances, it will have a huge impact on the ocean," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said.
Small levels of radiation from the plant have been detected as far away as Europe and the United States and several countries have banned milk and produce from the vicinity.
Singapore extended a ban on Japanese food imports on Monday after detecting radiation in more fruit and vegetable imports. Kan asked the European Union on Monday for a calm response to Japanese imports. The EU has urged radiation testing of Japanese food and feed imports. (Additional reporting by Yoko Nishikawa, Yoko Kubota, Linda Sieg, Leika Kihara, Tetsushi Kajimoto in Tokyo and Sylvia Westall in Vienna; Writing by Michael Perry; Editing by Daniel Magnowski, sourced Reuters)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
France urges world nuclear review after Japan crisis
Thu Mar 31, 2011 10:24am GMT
By Chizu Nomiyama and Chisa Fujioka
TOKYO (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy called on Thursday for a reform of global nuclear standards by the end of the year during a first visit by a foreign leader to Japan since the earthquake and tsunami that triggered its atomic disaster.
Group of 20 chairman Sarkozy said France wants to host a meeting of the bloc's nuclear officials in May to fix new norms in the wake of the crisis at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant.
Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan supported the idea.
"In order to avoid recurrence of such an accident, it is our duty to accurately share with the world our experience," he said at a joint news conference.
The world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl in 1986 is proving hard to contain and has forced an international re-think of the benefits and safety of nuclear power.
It has also compounded an agonizing moment for the Asian nation after the quake and tsunami left more than 27,500 people dead or missing and caused damage that may top $300 billion (186 billion pounds).
First data on the economic impact of the March 11 disasters showed manufacturing slumped the most on record this month as factories shut and supply chains were disrupted, especially in the car and technology sectors for which Japan is renowned.
France, the world's most nuclear-dependent country, is taking a lead in assisting Japan. As well as Sarkozy's show of solidarity by his personal presence, Paris has flown in experts from state-owned nuclear reactor maker Areva.
"Consider me your employee," Areva Chief Executive Anne Lauvergeon told Japanese officials.
The United States and Germany have weighed in too, offering robots to help repair the damaged nuclear plant.
In a worrying development in Switzerland, two female employees were injured when a parcel bomb exploded in the offices of the local nuclear lobby, police said. It was not known who sent it.
Switzerland has frozen the approvals process for three new nuclear stations pending a safety review after Japan's disaster.
Pressure has been growing on Japan to expand the evacuation zone around the Fukushima Daiichi plant where radiation hit 4,000 times legal limits in nearby sea and hindered the battle to contain the world's worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl.
Both the U.N. nuclear watchdog and Japan's own nuclear safety agency have advised Kan to consider widening the 20-km (12-mile) zone round the plant on the northeast Pacific coast.
High radiation was detected at twice that distance away.
Government officials are pleading for Japanese, and the world, to avoid overreaction to what they say are still low-risk levels of radiation away from the plant.
HIGH RADIATION
More than 70,000 people have been evacuated from the 20-km ring. Another 136,000 who live in a 10-km (6-mile) band beyond that have been encouraged to leave or to stay indoors.
U.N. body, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said radiation at Iitate village, 40 km (25 miles) from the plant, exceeded a criterion for evacuation.
Japan's chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the government was reviewing the issue daily but "at this moment, no decision to expand the evacuation area has been made".
Consistently high levels of radiation found in the sea near the complex could mean radiation is leaking out continuously, Japan's nuclear watchdog said. The source is still unknown, adding to the headaches for engineers on the site.
Radioactive iodine in seawater near drains running from the plant was 4,385 times more than the legal limit, the highest recorded so far during the crisis.
In a sign of the extraordinary times Japan is living, one newborn baby's first medical appointment was not with a paediatrician but a Geiger counter.
"I am so scared about radiation," Misato Nagashima said as she took her baby Rio, born four days after the earthquake and disaster, for a screening at a city in Fukushima prefecture.
Concern over radiation beyond Japan grew further after Singapore detected radiation nine times the limit in cabbages from Japan, while the United States reported "minuscule" levels of radiation in milk samples on its west coast.
Contaminated milk was one of the biggest causes of thyroid cancers after the 1986 nuclear accident in Chernobyl because people near the plant kept drinking milk from local cows.
Several nations have banned milk and produce from areas near the damaged nuclear plant, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo. Japan has itself stopped exports of vegetables and milk there.
While food makes up only 1 percent of Japan's exports, the nuclear emergency poses a risk to an economy burdened with public debt twice the size of its $5 trillion dollar economy and a fast ageing population.
Japan has called on World Trade Organisation nations not to impose "unjustifiable" import curbs on its goods.
LENGTHY BATTLE
Experts say the battle to control Fukushima's six reactors could take weeks, if not months, followed by a clean-up operation that may drag on for years.
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co could face compensation claims of up to 11 trillion yen (82 billion pounds) -- nearly four times its equity -- if the nuclear crisis drags on for two years, an analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said.
As operators struggle to regain control of the damaged reactors, nuclear experts said the continued lack of a permanent cooling system was hindering efforts to cool down fuel rods.
Workers have been forced to pump in seawater to cool the rods, but this creates contaminated seawater around the stricken plant and is making it difficult to reconnect the plant's internal cooling system which contains radiation.
Radiation readings around the evacuation zone vary widely.
Daily readings published by the government show that 30 km (19 miles) northwest of the reactors levels are climbing up to 42 microsieverts per hour, about 6 times the cosmic radiation experienced during a Tokyo-New York flight.
Elsewhere at that distance around the reactor it is just 1.0-1.2 microsieverts per hour.
A Reuters reading in downtown Tokyo on Thursday showed a radiation level of 0.18 microsieverts per hour. This is still quite low by global standards as Japan has lower levels of natural background radiation than other places.
(Additional reporting by Chisa Fujioka, Kiyoshi Takenaka and Chizu Nomiyama in Tokyo, Dave Dolan in Fukushima City, Ben Gruber in Koriyama and Sylvia Westall and Fredrik Dahl in Vienna, and Andrew Callus in Geneva; Writing by Michael Perry and Andrew Cawthorne; Editing by John Chalmers, sourced : Reuters)
If you believe an article violates your rights or the rights of others, please contact us.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Japan orders immediate safety upgrade at nuclear plants
Wed Mar 30, 2011 3:52pm BSTBy Risa Maeda and Yoko Kubota
TOKYO(Reuters) - Japan ordered an immediate safety upgrade at its 55 nuclear power plants on Wednesday in its first acknowledgment that standards were inadequate when an earthquake and tsunami wrecked a facility nearly three weeks ago, sparking the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.
As operators struggle to regain control of the damaged Daiichi nuclear reactors 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, radiation leakage continued, with radioactive iodine in the sea off the damaged plant at record levels. The state nuclear safety agency said the amounts were 3,355 times the legal limit.
Smoke was reported coming from a second damaged nuclear plant site in Fukushima on Wednesday, with authorities citing an electric distribution board as the problem.
It is not known how serious the problem was at the Daini plant, which has been put into cold shutdown and is several miles from the stricken Daiichi power facility.
Anger at Japan's nuclear crisis saw more than 100 people, chanting "stop nuclear power", protest outside the Tokyo headquarters of nuclear plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) on Wednesday.
"We don't want to use electric power that can kill people," said Waseda University student Mina Umeda.
A Reuters investigation showed Japan and TEPCO repeatedly played down dangers at its nuclear plants and ignored warnings, including a 2007 tsunami study from the utility's senior safety engineer.
The research paper concluded there was a roughly 10 percent chance that a tsunami could test or overrun the defences of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant within a 50-year span based on the most conservative assumptions.
The new safety steps, to be completed by the end of April, include preparing back-up power in case of loss of power supply, and having fire trucks with hoses ready at all times to intervene and ensure cooling systems for both reactors and pools of used fuel are maintained, the Trade Ministry said.
Other measures such as building higher protective sea walls would be studied after a full assessment of the Fukushima disaster, officials said.
The immediate measures do not necessarily require nuclear plant operations to be halted, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda told a news conference.
"These are the minimum steps we can think of right now that should be done immediately," said Kaieda.
"We shouldn't wait until a so-called overhaul or a comprehensive revision -- something major that would take a long time -- is prepared. We should do whatever we can if and when there is something (which safety authorities agree is) viable and necessary," he said.
Before the disaster, Japan's nuclear reactors had provided about 30 percent of the nation's electric power. The percentage had been expected to rise to 50 percent by 2030, among the highest in the world.
NO END IN SIGHT
The government and TEPCO conceded there was no end in sight to Japan's nuclear crisis.
"We are not in a situation where we can say we will have this under control by a certain period," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news briefing.
The discovery of highly toxic plutonium in soil at Daiichi had raised alarm over the disaster, which has overshadowed the humanitarian calamity triggered by the earthquake and tsunami, which left 27,500 people dead or missing.
TEPCO will test sprinkling synthetic resin in some areas of the Daiichi complex to prevent radioactive dust from flying into the air or being washed into the ocean by rain. The resin is water-soluble, but when the water evaporates, it becomes sticky and contains the dust.
Pollution of the ocean is a serious concern for a country where fish is central to the diet. Experts say the vastness of the ocean and a powerful current should dilute high levels of radiation, limiting the danger of marine contamination.
However, just how radiation is spilling into the ocean is unclear and controlling leakage from the plant could take weeks or months, making precise risk assessments difficult.
Tokyo Electric said it would take a "fairly long time" to stabilise overheating reactors, adding four of the six reactors would need to be decommissioned. Meanwhile, the head of the company was in hospital due to high blood pressure, adding to the disarray at Asia's largest utility.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose government faces mounting criticism for its handling of the crisis, won assurances of American support in a telephone conversation on Wednesday with President Barack Obama.
The United States has already agreed to send some radiation-detecting robots to Japan to help explore the reactor cores and spent fuel pools at the stricken nuclear plant.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who chairs the G20 and G8 blocs of nations, is due to visit Tokyo on Thursday. He will be the first foreign leader in Japan since the disaster.
In further support, France flew in two experts from its state-owned nuclear reactor maker Areva and its CEA nuclear research body to assist TEPCO.
DRAG ON ECONOMY
Hundreds of engineers have been toiling for nearly three weeks to cool the plant's reactors and avert a catastrophic meltdown of fuel rods, although the situation appears to have moved back from that nightmare scenario.
Jesper Koll, director of equity research at JPMorgan Securities in Tokyo, said a drawn-out battle to bring the plant under control and manage the radioactivity being released would perpetuate the uncertainty and act as a drag on the economy.
"The worst-case scenario is that this drags on not one month or two months or six months, but for two years, or indefinitely," he said. "Japan will be bypassed. That is the real nightmare scenario."
Japan's main stock index has fallen about 9 percent since the tsunami while TEPCO shares have fallen almost 80 percent. The government is considering a tax increase to pay for the damage it estimates at $300 billion in what could be the world's costliest natural disaster.
Already criticised for weak leadership during Japan's worst crisis since World War Two, Kan has been blasted by the opposition for his handling of the disaster and for not widening the exclusion zone beyond 20 km (12 miles) around Fukushima.
Kan said he was considering that step, which would force 130,000 people to move, in addition to 70,000 already displaced.
Hundreds of thousands whose homes and livelihoods were wiped away by the tsunami that obliterated cities on the northeast coast have heard next to nothing from the government about whether it will help them to rebuild.
About 175,000 were living in shelters on high ground above the vast plains of mud-covered debris with temporary housing for only a few hundred currently under construction.
As operators struggle to regain control of the damaged Daiichi nuclear reactors 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, radiation leakage continued, with radioactive iodine in the sea off the damaged plant at record levels. The state nuclear safety agency said the amounts were 3,355 times the legal limit.
Smoke was reported coming from a second damaged nuclear plant site in Fukushima on Wednesday, with authorities citing an electric distribution board as the problem.
It is not known how serious the problem was at the Daini plant, which has been put into cold shutdown and is several miles from the stricken Daiichi power facility.
Anger at Japan's nuclear crisis saw more than 100 people, chanting "stop nuclear power", protest outside the Tokyo headquarters of nuclear plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) on Wednesday.
"We don't want to use electric power that can kill people," said Waseda University student Mina Umeda.
A Reuters investigation showed Japan and TEPCO repeatedly played down dangers at its nuclear plants and ignored warnings, including a 2007 tsunami study from the utility's senior safety engineer.
The research paper concluded there was a roughly 10 percent chance that a tsunami could test or overrun the defences of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant within a 50-year span based on the most conservative assumptions.
The new safety steps, to be completed by the end of April, include preparing back-up power in case of loss of power supply, and having fire trucks with hoses ready at all times to intervene and ensure cooling systems for both reactors and pools of used fuel are maintained, the Trade Ministry said.
Other measures such as building higher protective sea walls would be studied after a full assessment of the Fukushima disaster, officials said.
The immediate measures do not necessarily require nuclear plant operations to be halted, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Banri Kaieda told a news conference.
"These are the minimum steps we can think of right now that should be done immediately," said Kaieda.
"We shouldn't wait until a so-called overhaul or a comprehensive revision -- something major that would take a long time -- is prepared. We should do whatever we can if and when there is something (which safety authorities agree is) viable and necessary," he said.
Before the disaster, Japan's nuclear reactors had provided about 30 percent of the nation's electric power. The percentage had been expected to rise to 50 percent by 2030, among the highest in the world.
NO END IN SIGHT
The government and TEPCO conceded there was no end in sight to Japan's nuclear crisis.
"We are not in a situation where we can say we will have this under control by a certain period," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano told a news briefing.
The discovery of highly toxic plutonium in soil at Daiichi had raised alarm over the disaster, which has overshadowed the humanitarian calamity triggered by the earthquake and tsunami, which left 27,500 people dead or missing.
TEPCO will test sprinkling synthetic resin in some areas of the Daiichi complex to prevent radioactive dust from flying into the air or being washed into the ocean by rain. The resin is water-soluble, but when the water evaporates, it becomes sticky and contains the dust.
Pollution of the ocean is a serious concern for a country where fish is central to the diet. Experts say the vastness of the ocean and a powerful current should dilute high levels of radiation, limiting the danger of marine contamination.
However, just how radiation is spilling into the ocean is unclear and controlling leakage from the plant could take weeks or months, making precise risk assessments difficult.
Tokyo Electric said it would take a "fairly long time" to stabilise overheating reactors, adding four of the six reactors would need to be decommissioned. Meanwhile, the head of the company was in hospital due to high blood pressure, adding to the disarray at Asia's largest utility.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan, whose government faces mounting criticism for its handling of the crisis, won assurances of American support in a telephone conversation on Wednesday with President Barack Obama.
The United States has already agreed to send some radiation-detecting robots to Japan to help explore the reactor cores and spent fuel pools at the stricken nuclear plant.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who chairs the G20 and G8 blocs of nations, is due to visit Tokyo on Thursday. He will be the first foreign leader in Japan since the disaster.
In further support, France flew in two experts from its state-owned nuclear reactor maker Areva and its CEA nuclear research body to assist TEPCO.
DRAG ON ECONOMY
Hundreds of engineers have been toiling for nearly three weeks to cool the plant's reactors and avert a catastrophic meltdown of fuel rods, although the situation appears to have moved back from that nightmare scenario.
Jesper Koll, director of equity research at JPMorgan Securities in Tokyo, said a drawn-out battle to bring the plant under control and manage the radioactivity being released would perpetuate the uncertainty and act as a drag on the economy.
"The worst-case scenario is that this drags on not one month or two months or six months, but for two years, or indefinitely," he said. "Japan will be bypassed. That is the real nightmare scenario."
Japan's main stock index has fallen about 9 percent since the tsunami while TEPCO shares have fallen almost 80 percent. The government is considering a tax increase to pay for the damage it estimates at $300 billion in what could be the world's costliest natural disaster.
Already criticised for weak leadership during Japan's worst crisis since World War Two, Kan has been blasted by the opposition for his handling of the disaster and for not widening the exclusion zone beyond 20 km (12 miles) around Fukushima.
Kan said he was considering that step, which would force 130,000 people to move, in addition to 70,000 already displaced.
Hundreds of thousands whose homes and livelihoods were wiped away by the tsunami that obliterated cities on the northeast coast have heard next to nothing from the government about whether it will help them to rebuild.
About 175,000 were living in shelters on high ground above the vast plains of mud-covered debris with temporary housing for only a few hundred currently under construction.
(Additional reporting by Jon Herskowitz, Elaine Lies, Mayumi Negishi, Leika Kihara and Yoko Nishikawa in Tokyo, Roberta Rampton , Ayesha Rascoe and Deborah Zabarenko in Washington, Eileen O'Grady in Houston; Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by John Chalmers and Alan Raybould, Reuters)
Japan likely to scrap all reactors at contaminated Fukushima nuke plant
Wed, Mar30, 2011 19:28:24
TOKYO, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano on Wednesday said that it was highly likely that the stricken reactors at the radiation-leaking Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northern Japan would be scrapped.
Speaking at a news conference, the top government spokesperson said that he believed all six reactors at the troubled facility should be decommissioned.
He said scrapping the reactors would be in the best interests of society.
"I believe it is very clear from the viewpoint of society (that the reactors should be decommissioned). That is my perception," the chief cabinet secretary said.
In the absence of Masataka Shimizu, 66, estranged CEO of the nuclear plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) who having not been seen for the past two weeks was hospitalized yesterday due to high blood pressure and dizziness, TEPCO chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata said at least four of the reactors should be scrapped.
"We have no choice but to scrap reactors 1 to 4 if we look at their conditions objectively," Katsumata said at a separate news conference.
Edano said that the ongoing crisis will take some time before it is resolved and as such local residents evacuated from the vicinity of the Daiichi facility may not be able to return home anytime soon.
"Unfortunately, some time is needed before the situation is brought under control and we can be sure that people are safe from radiation," said Edano.
Earlier Wednesday the government was mulling taking the unprecedented measure of covering three of the badly damaged nuclear reactor buildings with special fabric caps and fitting air filters to limit radiation leakage.
The idea of anchoring an empty tanker near the troubled No. 2 reactor building so that workers can pump several hundred tons of highly-radioactive water into its storage facilities, has also been floated by government and nuclear experts.
Seawater near the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility's No.1 reactor contained radioactive iodine at 3,355 times the legal limit and a spokesperson for Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said earlier on Wednesday and extraordinary measures must now be taken.
"The (radiation) figures are rising further," said the agency's Deputy Director-General Hidehiko Nishiyama.
"We need to find out as quickly as possible the cause and stop them from rising any higher. We are in an unprecedented situation, so we need to think about different strategies, beyond those we normally think about," Nishiyama added. (English.news.cn)
Tags : Chernobyl solution, over radiation leaks, Tokyo, Chernobyl disaster
Monday, March 28, 2011
Highly radioactive water leaks from Japanese nuclear plant
Mon Mar 28, 2011 2:20pm GMT
* Battle to control Fukushima plant seen far from over
* Radiation in reactor due to melting fuel rods - Edano
* Plant operator seeks help from French companies - Kyodo
* Greenpeace says detects high radiation outside exclusion zone
By Mayumi Negishi and Chisa Fujioka
TOKYO, March 28 (Reuters) - Highly radioactive water has leaked from a reactor at Japan's crippled nuclear complex, the plant's operator said on Monday, while environmental group Greenpeace said it had detected high levels of radiation outside an exclusion zone.
Reflecting growing unease about efforts to control the six-reactor Fukushima Daiichi complex, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) had appealed to French companies for help, the Kyodo news agency said.
The plant, 240 km (150 miles) north of Tokyo, was damaged in a March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 28,000 people dead or missing across northeastern Japan.
Fires, explosions and radiation leaks have repeatedly forced engineers to suspend efforts to stabilise the plant, including on Sunday when radiation levels spiked to 100,000 times above normal in water inside reactor No. 2.
A partial meltdown of fuel rods inside the reactor vessel was responsible for the high levels, although Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the radiation had mainly been contained in the reactor building.
But TEPCO later said radiation above 1,000 millisieverts per hour had been found in water in underground concrete tunnels that extend beyond the reactor.
That is the same as the level discovered on Sunday. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says a single dose of 1,000 millisieverts is enough to cause haemorrhaging.
TEPCO officials said the tunnels did not flow into the sea but the possibility of radioactive water seeping into the ground could not be ruled out.
The nuclear crisis has compounded Japan's agony after the magnitude 9.0 quake and huge tsunami devastated its northeast coast, turning whole towns into apocalyptic landscapes of mud and debris.
About a quarter of a million people are living in shelters and damage could top $300 billion, making it the world's costliest natural disaster.
The suffering may not be over.
Greenpeace said its experts had confirmed radiation levels of up to 10 microsieverts per hour in the village of Iitate, 40 km (25 miles) northwest of the plant. It called for the extension of a 20-km (12-mile) evacuation zone.
"It is clearly not safe for people to remain in Iitate, especially children and pregnant women, when it could mean receiving the maximum allowed annual dose of radiation in only a few days," Greenpeace said in a statement.
More than 70,000 people have been evacuated from an area within 20 km (12 miles) of the plant and another 130,000 people within a zone extending a further 10 km are recommended to stay indoors. They have been encouraged to leave.
Beyond the evacuation zone, traces of radiation have turned up in tap water in Tokyo and as far away as Iceland.
Japanese officials and international experts have generally said the levels away from the plant were not dangerous for people, who anyway face higher radiation doses on a daily basis from natural substances, X-rays or flights.
But Greenpeace urged the government to acknowledge the danger and "stop choosing politics over science".
Nuclear safety agency deputy Hidehiko Nishiyama said the environmental group's measurement was not reliable and hardly any people were still living in that area. A Greenpeace nuclear expert later defended the reliability of their findings.
CALL FOR HELP
At the weekend, the spike in radiation forced a suspension of work at the reactor, with experts warning that Japan faced a long fight to contain the world's most dangerous atomic crisis in 25 years.
"This is far beyond what one nation can handle -- it needs to be bumped up to the U.N. Security Council," said Najmedin Meshkati, of the University of Southern California.
TEPCO, which has conceded it faces a protracted and uncertain operation to contain the crisis, sought outside help from French firms including Electricite de France SA and Areva SA (CEPFi.PA: Quote), a French government minister said.
A spokesman for state-owned nuclear reactor maker Areva said the company was studying the request.
Murray Jennex, a nuclear power plant expert and associate professor at San Diego State University, said "there's not really a plan B" other than to dry out the plant, get power restored and start cooling it down.
"What we're now in is a long slog period with lots of small, unsexy steps that have to be taken to pull the whole thing together," he said by telephone. The good news, he said, was that the reactor cores appeared to be cooling down.
There was good news as well about the radiation levels in the sea just off the plant, which skyrocketed on Sunday to 1,850 times normal. Those had come down sharply, the nuclear safety agency said the next day.
Though experts said radiation in the Pacific would quickly dissipate, the levels at the site are clearly dangerous, and the 450 or so engineers there have won admiration and sympathy around the world for their bravery and sense of duty.
Last week, two workers at Fukushima were injured with radiation burns after water seeped over their shoes, and on Sunday, engineers had to abandon reactor No. 2 after the new reading.
The world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986 has prompted a reassessment of nuclear power across the world. It had its most direct political impact yet in foreign politics in Germany at the weekend.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats lost control of Germany's most prosperous state, Baden-Wuerttemberg, as anti-nuclear sentiment benefited her opponents in a regional vote.
Residents of the northeast have been rattled by aftershocks from the strongest earthquake in Japanese history, including a magnitude 6.5 tremor on Monday that triggered a tsunami warning.
"I lived through World War Two, when there was nothing to eat and no clothes to wear. I'll live through this," said Mitsuharu Watanobe, sitting cross-legged on a blanket in an evacuation centre in Fukushima city.
"But the scary thing is the radiation. There is a gap between what the newspapers write and what the government is saying. I want the government to tell the truth more."
The latest death toll was 11,004 people, with 17,339 people missing 17 days after the disaster.
ANALYSIS-Japan nuclear crisis stirs worries about leadership vacuum
Mon Mar 28, 2011 10:02am GMT
By Linda Sieg
By Linda Sieg
March 28 (Reuters) - Who's running the show as Japan grapples with its worst crisis since the end of World War Two?
Concerns are growing over an apparent leadership vacuum as Japan fights to prevent catastrophe at a crippled nuclear plant and recover from the deadly earthquake and tsunami that has devastated the country's northeast.
Engineers have been battling to stabilise the Fukushima nuclear complex since it was damaged by the massive March 11 quake and tsunami, but operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) has conceded it faces a prolonged and risky operation to avert a disastrous meltdown at the plant, 240 km (150 miles) from Tokyo.
"This nuclear accident needs to be dealt with as a national security issue, not just a problem for TEPCO, and solved as soon as possible," said Toshiro Muto, a former Bank of Japan deputy governor who is now chairman of the Daiwa Institute of Research.
Underscoring public angst, a Kyodo news agency poll released on Sunday showed nearly 60 percent of respondents disapproved of the government's handling of the nuclear crisis and almost two-thirds felt Prime Minister Naoto Kan was not exercising leadership.
"It is quite clear that the vested interests are too entrenched and the characters involved are too weak to take decisive actions and responsibility in the sense of forward-looking, pragmatic action," said Jesper Koll, director of equity research at JP Morgan Securities.
He said Japan should turn to nuclear experts from around the world to help them stabilise a situation that, if anything, appears to be getting worse.
Frustration is also growing among those who have fled their homes near the plant. The government has ordered those within a 20 km (12.4 mile) radius to leave and is encouraging those living in a 20-30 km ring to do the same.
"The scary thing is the radiation," said Mitsuharu Watanobe, a retired high school teacher who had to leave his home about 25 km from the damaged complex. "There is a gap between what the newspapers write and what the government is saying. I want the government to tell the truth more."
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has received praise for his performance as top government spokesman, keeping the public up to date on the crisis in twice-daily news conferences.
But few think the 46-year-old lawmaker is running the show.
And the information he can share is only as reliable as what he is told by TEPCO and regulators, whose comments are often conflicting and confusing.
On Monday, Edano berated TEPCO for announcing what turned out to be mistaken radiation readings, calling the error "absolutely unforgiveable".
Asked later if the pressure vessel at one of the reactors was damaged, he referred the query to the nuclear safety agency.
Analysts said the government seemed to be leaving TEPCO, which has had a rocky past of suspected false reports, too much in control and that coordination among the government, regulators and the firm was messy.
Kan, for his part, has given three news conference since the disaster struck but has otherwise mostly stayed out of public view. He has not yet visited the tsunami-hit northeast, although media said he now plans to do so on April 2.
The prime minister has come under fire for flying over the nuclear complex a day after the tsunami, although Edano denied reports that the flight delayed steps to cope with the accident.
In a sign the government was feeling overwhelmed, Kan on Saturday appointed Sumio Mabuchi, an ex-transport minister as a special advisor on the nuclear crisis.
That followed the appointment of his former No.2 minister, Yoshito Sengoku, as a deputy to Edano to beef up relief and reconstruction efforts. The quake and tsunami have left more than 27,000 dead or missing and one quarter of a million people living in shelters in a stricken swath of northeastern Japan.
Mabuchi and Sengoku lost their cabinet posts in January after being censured by the opposition-controlled upper house of parliament for their handling of a territorial row with China.
"There is no one looking at things overall," said Hirotaka Futatsuki, an independent political analyst. "Things are proceeding piecemeal and Kan is not exercising general control." (Reuters)
Concerns are growing over an apparent leadership vacuum as Japan fights to prevent catastrophe at a crippled nuclear plant and recover from the deadly earthquake and tsunami that has devastated the country's northeast.
Engineers have been battling to stabilise the Fukushima nuclear complex since it was damaged by the massive March 11 quake and tsunami, but operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) has conceded it faces a prolonged and risky operation to avert a disastrous meltdown at the plant, 240 km (150 miles) from Tokyo.
"This nuclear accident needs to be dealt with as a national security issue, not just a problem for TEPCO, and solved as soon as possible," said Toshiro Muto, a former Bank of Japan deputy governor who is now chairman of the Daiwa Institute of Research.
Underscoring public angst, a Kyodo news agency poll released on Sunday showed nearly 60 percent of respondents disapproved of the government's handling of the nuclear crisis and almost two-thirds felt Prime Minister Naoto Kan was not exercising leadership.
"It is quite clear that the vested interests are too entrenched and the characters involved are too weak to take decisive actions and responsibility in the sense of forward-looking, pragmatic action," said Jesper Koll, director of equity research at JP Morgan Securities.
He said Japan should turn to nuclear experts from around the world to help them stabilise a situation that, if anything, appears to be getting worse.
Frustration is also growing among those who have fled their homes near the plant. The government has ordered those within a 20 km (12.4 mile) radius to leave and is encouraging those living in a 20-30 km ring to do the same.
"The scary thing is the radiation," said Mitsuharu Watanobe, a retired high school teacher who had to leave his home about 25 km from the damaged complex. "There is a gap between what the newspapers write and what the government is saying. I want the government to tell the truth more."
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has received praise for his performance as top government spokesman, keeping the public up to date on the crisis in twice-daily news conferences.
But few think the 46-year-old lawmaker is running the show.
And the information he can share is only as reliable as what he is told by TEPCO and regulators, whose comments are often conflicting and confusing.
On Monday, Edano berated TEPCO for announcing what turned out to be mistaken radiation readings, calling the error "absolutely unforgiveable".
Asked later if the pressure vessel at one of the reactors was damaged, he referred the query to the nuclear safety agency.
Analysts said the government seemed to be leaving TEPCO, which has had a rocky past of suspected false reports, too much in control and that coordination among the government, regulators and the firm was messy.
Kan, for his part, has given three news conference since the disaster struck but has otherwise mostly stayed out of public view. He has not yet visited the tsunami-hit northeast, although media said he now plans to do so on April 2.
The prime minister has come under fire for flying over the nuclear complex a day after the tsunami, although Edano denied reports that the flight delayed steps to cope with the accident.
In a sign the government was feeling overwhelmed, Kan on Saturday appointed Sumio Mabuchi, an ex-transport minister as a special advisor on the nuclear crisis.
That followed the appointment of his former No.2 minister, Yoshito Sengoku, as a deputy to Edano to beef up relief and reconstruction efforts. The quake and tsunami have left more than 27,000 dead or missing and one quarter of a million people living in shelters in a stricken swath of northeastern Japan.
Mabuchi and Sengoku lost their cabinet posts in January after being censured by the opposition-controlled upper house of parliament for their handling of a territorial row with China.
"There is no one looking at things overall," said Hirotaka Futatsuki, an independent political analyst. "Things are proceeding piecemeal and Kan is not exercising general control." (Reuters)
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Japan banks may lend $25 bln to nuclear operator -sources
Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:57am EDT
* TEPCO needs funds after tsunami damaged nuclear plant
* TEPCO: no problem with cash now but sees big funds need next FY
* Says not sure about annual dividend now vs 60 yen/shr pvs f'cast
* TEPCO shares end down 4.5 pct, have halved since disaster
By Taiga Uranaka
TOKYO, March 23 (Reuters) - Japan's largest banks are in talks to provide up to $25 billion in emergency loans to Tokyo Electric Power to shore up its finances and rebuild its power network following a disaster at one of its nuclear plants.
Tokyo Electric, Asia's largest utility, is waging a desperate battle to cool reactors at its Fukushima-Daiichi power plant which were crippled by the powerful earthquake and tsunami
on March 11 and have leaked radiation.
The disaster knocked out about 20 percent of Tokyo Electric's operating thermal and nuclear generation, forcing it to implement rolling blackouts set to last months until it can secure alternative sources of power.
Highlighting the uncertainty over its financial prospects, the company -- known for its rich and steady dividends -- said on Wednesday that it was now not sure what its annual dividend
would be, erasing its prior forecast for a payout of 60 yen per share.
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group , the utility's main lender, is expected to provide more than 500 billion yen in loans out of an emergency package that could total 2 trillion yen ($25 billion), sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group are considering loans of 200-500 billion yen each. Sumitomo Trust and Banking and other major trust banks are also expected to offer funds, the sources said.
The loans would be used to fix damaged plants and for other reconstruction efforts and may be extended to the utility as early as this month, according to the sources, who were not
authorised to speak publicly about the matter.
"Interesting, as one suspects that the government has implicitly guaranteed the survival of TEPCO as a regulated entity if all these institutions are willing to accept the risk," said Penn Bowers, an analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets in Tokyo.
"Given the amount of cash on the balance sheet, I am surprised at the urgency of talks but certainly the need to prevent a crisis of confidence could be seen as necessary to keep recovery efforts stable," he said.
Tokyo Electric, which provides power to about one-third of the Japanese population, had 432 billion yen in cash and equivalents at the end December 2010 and 7.5 trillion yen in outstanding debt, according to its financial statements.
Of its $64 billion in outstanding bonds, the company is due to repay $4.8 billion this year, and another $5.6 billion in 2012, underscoring the importance of refinancing to meet its funding needs.
Last week, credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut its long-term and short-term ratings on TEPCO by one notch to "A+" and "A-1" respectively. Moody's also cut the firm's long-term
rating by two notches to "A1."
RISING FUEL COSTS
At the six-reactor Fukushima-Daiichi plant, engineers are battling to cool the reactors to contain further contamination and avert a meltdown.
But even if TEPCO is able to regain control of Fukushima-Daiichi, it faces lengthy repairs and inspections at other nuclear facilities and will have to burn more oil and gas to make up for the nuclear shortfall, eating away at its finances.
In addition to the destroyed Fukushima-Daiichi plant, Tokyo Electric's Fukushima-Daini plant is also out of action, along with some 18 percent of the company's thermal power capacity.
Damage to plants, lines and networks in the most affected northeast of the country is expected to linger, raising the prospect of blackouts during the peak summer demand season.
Tokyo Electric has said it would likely be able to secure 54 gigawatts of supply by summer, up from around 35 gigawatts now, as it restores some of the damaged thermal plants and
brings on other plants that were mothballed or down for maintenance.
CLSA's Bowers says its fuel costs could rise by 700 billion yen in the financial year to March 2012 "given the change in fuel mix - the ability to pass this through will be the key long-term factor for funding."
Five-year credit default swaps for insuring against a Tokyo Electric default hit a record high of 373 basis point on March 17. The spread has since tightened to close at 245 on Monday,
reflecting some progress in containing the crisis.
"We don't have a problem with cash at hand, but as we see a need for large funds in next financial year (beginning on April 1), we are procuring funds as needed," said Hajime Motojuku, a
TEPCO spokesman, declining to elaborate.
A spokeswoman for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, the core commercial banking unit of SMFG, declined to comment on transactions with a specific client but said the bank would like
to give "maximum support for TEPCO as its main lender".
A spokesman for MUFG said the bank has been approached byTEPCO for loans but details have not been decided yet. A Mizuho spokesman said he could not comment on individual ransactions.
Shares of TEPCO ended down 4.5 percent at 1,049 yen, underperforming a 1.7 percent fall in the benchmark Nikkei average . The stock has fallen by about half since the disaster on March 11, cutting its market value to less than $22billion.($1 = 81.065 Japanese Yen)
* TEPCO needs funds after tsunami damaged nuclear plant
* TEPCO: no problem with cash now but sees big funds need next FY
* Says not sure about annual dividend now vs 60 yen/shr pvs f'cast
* TEPCO shares end down 4.5 pct, have halved since disaster
By Taiga Uranaka
TOKYO, March 23 (Reuters) - Japan's largest banks are in talks to provide up to $25 billion in emergency loans to Tokyo Electric Power to shore up its finances and rebuild its power network following a disaster at one of its nuclear plants.
Tokyo Electric, Asia's largest utility, is waging a desperate battle to cool reactors at its Fukushima-Daiichi power plant which were crippled by the powerful earthquake and tsunami
on March 11 and have leaked radiation.
The disaster knocked out about 20 percent of Tokyo Electric's operating thermal and nuclear generation, forcing it to implement rolling blackouts set to last months until it can secure alternative sources of power.
Highlighting the uncertainty over its financial prospects, the company -- known for its rich and steady dividends -- said on Wednesday that it was now not sure what its annual dividend
would be, erasing its prior forecast for a payout of 60 yen per share.
Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group , the utility's main lender, is expected to provide more than 500 billion yen in loans out of an emergency package that could total 2 trillion yen ($25 billion), sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group are considering loans of 200-500 billion yen each. Sumitomo Trust and Banking and other major trust banks are also expected to offer funds, the sources said.
The loans would be used to fix damaged plants and for other reconstruction efforts and may be extended to the utility as early as this month, according to the sources, who were not
authorised to speak publicly about the matter.
"Interesting, as one suspects that the government has implicitly guaranteed the survival of TEPCO as a regulated entity if all these institutions are willing to accept the risk," said Penn Bowers, an analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets in Tokyo.
"Given the amount of cash on the balance sheet, I am surprised at the urgency of talks but certainly the need to prevent a crisis of confidence could be seen as necessary to keep recovery efforts stable," he said.
Tokyo Electric, which provides power to about one-third of the Japanese population, had 432 billion yen in cash and equivalents at the end December 2010 and 7.5 trillion yen in outstanding debt, according to its financial statements.
Of its $64 billion in outstanding bonds, the company is due to repay $4.8 billion this year, and another $5.6 billion in 2012, underscoring the importance of refinancing to meet its funding needs.
Last week, credit ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut its long-term and short-term ratings on TEPCO by one notch to "A+" and "A-1" respectively. Moody's also cut the firm's long-term
rating by two notches to "A1."
RISING FUEL COSTS
At the six-reactor Fukushima-Daiichi plant, engineers are battling to cool the reactors to contain further contamination and avert a meltdown.
But even if TEPCO is able to regain control of Fukushima-Daiichi, it faces lengthy repairs and inspections at other nuclear facilities and will have to burn more oil and gas to make up for the nuclear shortfall, eating away at its finances.
In addition to the destroyed Fukushima-Daiichi plant, Tokyo Electric's Fukushima-Daini plant is also out of action, along with some 18 percent of the company's thermal power capacity.
Damage to plants, lines and networks in the most affected northeast of the country is expected to linger, raising the prospect of blackouts during the peak summer demand season.
Tokyo Electric has said it would likely be able to secure 54 gigawatts of supply by summer, up from around 35 gigawatts now, as it restores some of the damaged thermal plants and
brings on other plants that were mothballed or down for maintenance.
CLSA's Bowers says its fuel costs could rise by 700 billion yen in the financial year to March 2012 "given the change in fuel mix - the ability to pass this through will be the key long-term factor for funding."
Five-year credit default swaps for insuring against a Tokyo Electric default hit a record high of 373 basis point on March 17. The spread has since tightened to close at 245 on Monday,
reflecting some progress in containing the crisis.
"We don't have a problem with cash at hand, but as we see a need for large funds in next financial year (beginning on April 1), we are procuring funds as needed," said Hajime Motojuku, a
TEPCO spokesman, declining to elaborate.
A spokeswoman for Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, the core commercial banking unit of SMFG, declined to comment on transactions with a specific client but said the bank would like
to give "maximum support for TEPCO as its main lender".
A spokesman for MUFG said the bank has been approached byTEPCO for loans but details have not been decided yet. A Mizuho spokesman said he could not comment on individual ransactions.
Shares of TEPCO ended down 4.5 percent at 1,049 yen, underperforming a 1.7 percent fall in the benchmark Nikkei average . The stock has fallen by about half since the disaster on March 11, cutting its market value to less than $22billion.($1 = 81.065 Japanese Yen)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
