Japan plans to scrap nuke plants after 40 years

[dbt]

Source: AP via MSNBC

Japan says it will soon require atomic reactors to be shut down after 40 years of use to improve safety following the nuclear crisis set off by last year's tsunami.

Concern about aging reactors has been growing because the three units at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in northeastern Japan that went into meltdown following the tsunami in March were built starting in 1967. Among other reactors at least 40 years old are those at the Tsuruga and Mihama plants in central Japan, which were built starting in 1970.

Many more of the 54 reactors in Japan will reach the 40-year mark in the near future, though some were built only a few years ago.

The government said Friday that it plans to introduce legislation in the coming months to require reactors to stop running after 40 years. Japanese media reported that the law may include loopholes to allow some old nuclear reactors to keep running if their safety is confirmed with tests.


Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45909321/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/#.Twgq3IHYCSo

[Junkdrawer]

1. Wasn't there something on the TV for a few days. Something about reactor problems...

after the tsunami. Must not be real bad or it would be in the news.

:sarcasm:

[Kokonoe]

2. That was once in 500 year event. (sarcasm)

That lasts 32,000 years.

[arikara]

3. What they needed to do is build them to specifications in the first place

Greg Palast reported in Vulture's Picnic that they knew there were problems all along but forced engineers to sign off rather than spend money. For example, he says the emergency generators are not designed to do what they are being used for and will fail in any plant that they are needed. In other words, the earthquake and tsunami had nothing to do with the failure of the generators.

[RC]

6. Oh, really?!!

The generators were running fine until they were submerged in 35 feet of sea water.

[arikara]

7. Worth a read

http://www.amazon.com/Vultures-Picnic-Petroleum-High-Finance-Carnivores/dp/0525952071/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326049946&sr=8-1

Its a very disturbing book in some ways made harder to read by his wonky writing style but he breaks it all down and even shows photos of the documentation. And its common knowledge that much of what we hear on the "news" is misleading at best.

[freshwest]

4. Good for them, taking their energy needs into their own hands. They've got the know how to do this.

[No Elephants]

5. Before the Japan disaster, the DLC was pretending that nuclear plants werelike roads and

bridges.

An article written by Harold Ford, then DLC head, spoke of using infrastructure banks to repair and maintain our roads, bridges, nuclear plants, schools, etc., lumping in privately-owned nuclear plants with publicly-owned roads and bridges without explanation, as if there were no difference.

I can't give a link right now because my internet security is claiming an attack whenever I type www.dlc.org into the url bar, but I have given the link in prior posts.

As you may recall, President Obama mentioned infrastructure banks, which the DLC has been recommending for years, in his speech to a special joint session of Congress. (That special joint session was really something, wasn't it?)

[proverbialwisdom]

8. Thanks, very informative. nfm.