Fukushima updates - Tepco tells a whopper - says spent fuel pool building at unit 4 could withstand a magnitude 9 quake ! While Tepco still refuses outside expert help , it tries to quell concern by way of presser tours of battleground Fukushima

http://enenews.com/tokyo-reporter-unit-4-like-battlefield-after-being-bombed-questions-tepcos-promise-will-be-after-another-big-quake

 Rubble hinders decommissioning work at Fukushima No. 4 reactor
AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
May 28, 2012

Mountains of rubble stand in the way of decommissioning the No. 4 reactor of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, part of an unprecedented challenge facing Japan to decommission four crippled reactors.

[...]

A reporter from the Tokyo Shimbun described the scene on the fourth floor as looking like that of a “battlefield after being bombed.”

[...]

“Pipes were severely bent,” the reporter said. “Steel frames were also twisted and rusted. It was hard for me to believe such a thick wall was blown off over a wide area.”

[...]

The reporter said he was not entirely reassured by the utility’s promise that the structure will be sturdy enough to remain unscathed in another big quake despite no major, visible damage to the wall near the pool.

“TEPCO said that the pool can withstand a temblor equivalent to the quake last year, but I was not convinced of that,” the reporter said.

and.......

http://enenews.com/asahi-high-radiation-levels-reactors-preventing-tepco-preparing-start-decommissioning-work-many-uncertainties-could-easily-derail-timetable

Rubble hinders decommissioning work at Fukushima No. 4 reactor
AJW by The Asahi Shimbun
May 28, 2012

[...]

A crane and other equipment needed to move the fuel rods will be installed [at Unit 4] in autumn 2013 so that technicians can start the retrieval process.

But there are many uncertainties that could easily derail TEPCO’s timetable, experts say.

Rubble

The plan could be delayed because clearing the structure could take more time than expected because concrete blocks and pieces of steel frame are scattered all around in and out of the No. 4 reactor pool.

Common Pool Full

TEPCO also needs to secure a facility to store fuel rods from the pool, as a common nearby pool has space for only 465 fuel rods remaining.

Leakage

The No. 1 through No. 3 reactors are being cooled by makeshift cooling systems, resulting in the leakage of a large amount of highly contaminated water at the plant.

High levels of radiation in the drainage are preventing the utility from preparing for the start of decommissioning work.

Quake and Tsunami Risk

TEPCO will also have to proceed with decommissioning amid concerns for possible powerful aftershocks and tsunami.

It said that the reactors will be cooled with emergency cooling pumps even if the existing cooling systems are knocked out in such an event.

If a tsunami strikes the plant when the decommissioning work is under way, the makeshift cooling systems could be destroyed and contaminated water could leak into the sea.

http://enenews.com/yomiuri-reporter-fuel-rods-were-not-visible-when-looking-under-sheet-covering-unit-4-pool

and...

N-fuel pool, ruined structure seen up close
The Daily Yomiuri
May 28, 2012

Goshi Hosono, the nuclear disaster management minister, spent half an hour Saturday inside the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant’s No. 4 reactor building [...]

Hosono was accompanied by four representatives of the news media. [...]

On the fifth floor, the group inspected the surface of the pool, in which 1,535 rods are stored–equivalent to the number necessary for three reactors. The rods are kept seven meters below the surface. Due to poor transparency and no lighting in the water, the rods were not visible when a sheet covering the pool was removed.

In addition to the four members of the press accompanying Hosono, a Yomiuri Shimbun reporter and other journalists were allowed to look at the building from much closer than before. [...]

and......

http://enenews.com/tepco-remove-fresh-fuel-4-pool-summer-hoping-determine-damaged-unused-assemblies

 Tepco may try to remove unused fuel assemblies from feared No. 4 pool
Kyodo
May 28, 2012

Tokyo Electric Power Co. might try to remove two unused fuel assemblies sitting in the spent-fuel pool above the Fukushima No. 1 plant’s No. 4 reactor in July, officials said Sunday.

The attempt would be a test run for securing the dangerous pool, which has become a priority because the building that housed the reactor and the pool — which sits on the fifth floor — was ripped apart by a hydrogen explosion in the early days of the nuclear crisis last year and could collapse in a strong earthquake. That might dump hundreds of fuel rods on the ground, where they would burn up and release even more radiation than in last year’s crisis.

Since the unused fuel is not generating heat from fission, it is less dangerous to handle than the spent fuel. The utility, known as Tepco, is hoping to determine how damaged the unused assemblies are and to devise ways to store them.

 and......

http://enenews.com/ap-tepco-rejects-growing-calls-to-let-outside-experts-inspect-fukushima-plant

Hosono visits Fukushima plant to quell fears over No. 4′s pool
AP
Sunday, May 27, 2012

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The pool, which is situated precariously above the reactor, is one of the plant’s biggest risks as it is filled with spent fuel rods that could get dumped out and combust if the building fails during an earthquake.

[...]

Akio Komori, one of the Tepco executives who escorted [environment and nuclear minister Goshi] Hosono, said the utility will inspect the No. 4 building to ensure its integrity while continuing with fuel removal. Komori, however, rejected growing calls to let outside experts to inspect the plant.

“As the party with direct responsibility, it’s our job to carry out the necessary checks,” he said.