Japan's nuclear Industry will be shutdown - no active reactors for the first time since the 1970's - as of September 15 , 2013...

The Looming Shutdown Of Japan's Nuclear Power

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 09/09/2013 22:34 -0400

• Japan
 
• Nuclear Power

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Via Stratfor,

Japan commissioned the country's first nuclear power plant in 1966 and nuclear power has been a staple of the country's energy strategy since the 1970s. But when the last active reactor at the Ohi plant shuts down for scheduled maintenance on Sept. 15, Japan will be without nuclear power for the first time since May 2012.

While a small amount of nuclear energy production resumed in July 2012, the upcoming period without nuclear power has the potential to be much longer. The two plants that are shutting down in September must go through the same safety inspections as the other 10 reactors that have applied to restart. Because it is expected that required safety inspections will take six months, it appears that Japan will likely be without nuclear power for the remainder of 2013. With its nuclear plants idle, Japan will be forced to continue relying on expensive energy imports, which, combined with rising electricity prices in Japan, could threaten Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's plans for an economic revival.

http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2013/09/national-government-at-forefront-on.html

( Japan government springing into action on Fukushima ..... ) 

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2013

"National Government at the Forefront" on Contaminated Water Problems at #Fukushima I Nuke Plant Means Committees, Teams, Groups

that would make Sir Humphrey Appleby proud.

Now that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared to IOC Commissioners who gave him the 2020 Summer Olympic in Tokyo that his government would be at the forefront in dealing with contaminated water problems, and that "the effect of contamination" (carefully note the word "effect") was confined within the plant harbor (to the great puzzlement of TEPCO who said they hadn't advised Mr. Abe on anything), the government is in full gear - creating committees.

Let's see. How many committees, teams, working groups are there on the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident?

On contaminated water problems:

• Working Group set up by Nuclear Regulatory Authority, headed by Commissioner Fuketa
• Team set up by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, headed by Minister Motegi himself
• Group set up by the national government that include Fukushima Prefecture officials, headed by Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry
• Committee of 10 government ministers to discuss the problems (useless of them all...)

TEPCO has to send people to each group meeting, and it has set up its own group on contaminated water as demanded by the national government.

On decommissioning: 

• Government committee to promote decommissioning based on the "roadmap"
• Government committee on R&D for decommissioning technologies
• Private industry association set up at the prompting by Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to develop decommissioning technologies

Other than the working group set up by NRA which actually is very useful in analyzing the situation and suggesting courses of action, the rest look like good venues for government officials, bureaucrats and university professors to earn extra per diem, and waste of resource for TEPCO who will have to send mid to high-ranking managers and prepare presentations to placate the officials and bureaucrats.