Fukushima DAINI barely averted a catastrophe as well!

The 4 reactor Daini complex, just 7 miles south of the 6 reactor Daiichi complexA U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) official, testifying at a subcommittee of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards (ACRS) which is overseeing the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear catastrophe review, testified that the Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant -- just seven miles to the south of Daiichi -- barely survived the tsunami that devastated its sister plant up the coast. Dr. John E. Kelly, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Reactor Technologies at DOE's Office of Nuclear Energy, presented a powerpoint entitled "DOE Response to Fukushima Dai-Ichi Accident" at the NRC Headquarters in Rockville, Maryland on May 26th. As he discussed the "Major root cause of the damage" to Fukushima Daiichi's Units 1 to 4, Dr. Kelly mentioned in passing that a Japanese colleague, a Dr. Amato, reported to him that the tsunami was actually worse at Daini (site of four Tokyo Electric Power Company reactors) than at Daiichi, but the Daini nuclear site is fortunately at a higher elevation than the six reactor complex at Daiichi. However, Daini still lost all its emergency diesel generators due to the tsunami's impact. But fortunately, Daini did not completely lose its connection to the functioning grid -- a single offsite power line survived the earthquake and tsunami, thus keeping electricity flowing to Daini's cooling pumps on its reactor cores and high-level radioactive waste storage pools. As bad as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant catastrophe is, it could be so much worse, if Daini had been plunged into long-term station blackout as well. Despite this good fortune, there have still been problems at Daini. A fire was reported at Daini on March 30; another fire was reported at Daini just today. And incredibly, a supertyphoon may now be headed to Fukushima Prefecture, straight at both the Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants.

Supertyphoon headed for Japan could hit Fukushima nuclear site

Projected path of super typhoon which could hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in northeast JapanTyphoon Songda has been upgraded to a supertyphoon after hitting the Philippines and is on track for Japan, with the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in its pathway. The U.S. Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Center currently predicts that the typhoon could pass over the Fukushima nuclear site on Monday, Japan time. TEPCO is reportedly planning protective measures but has not announced them. Bloomberg News has reported on this situation.

75 days into Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, Tepco admits that Units 1, 2, and 3 had melted down in first 3 days

The New York Times has reported that, nearly 11 weeks into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power catastrophe, Tokyo Electric Power Company is now willing to admit that Unit 1 melted down on day one, Unit 3 melted down on day two, and Unit 2 melted down on day three following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. In addition, Tepco has admitted the possibility that Units 1, 2, and 3's reactor pressure vessels have been breached, although it and the Japanese government continue to hold out hope that the motherlode of highly radioactive, melted down nuclear fuel remains within the reactor pressure vessels. However, the "feed and bleed" cooling attempting to prevent the molten fuel from burning through the reactor pressure vessel -- and the last line of defense against environmental releases after that, the primary containment structure -- itself results in radioactive steam releases to the atmosphere, as well as ongoing radioactively contaminated water leaks into the ocean. A U.S. Department of Energy spokesman said at a meeting of an Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards meeting yesterday at Nuclear Regulatory Commission headquarters that such cooling -- and radioactive releases -- will likely continue at Unit 1 for over a year, and at Units 2 and 3 for the better part of two years.

State environment ministers in Germany vote to permanently close country's 7 oldest atomic reactors!

As reported by the New York Times, the ultimate decision now rests with Chancellor Angela Merkel and her cabinet, on June 6th. Germany's 7 oldest reactors were shut down as a precaution after the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe began. Merkel's Conservative Party has suffered electoral defeats in state elections to the Green Party, a direct result of popular concern about radioactive risks, and decades of anti-nuclear organizing in Germany.

"Song for the Ocean" resonates as marine contamination in Japan mounts

As the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident continues out of control, so does the massive and mounting problem of the radioactive contamination of the ocean from the leaks that continue to flow from Japan's coastal reactor site. Now, the reactor site is awash in more than 100,000 tons of radioactive water  as a result of the ongoing desperate measures to cool the radioactive shambles of what was a six unit nuclear power plant site. This nuclear accident which could persist for years is literally flushing its radioactive contents into the Pacific Ocean.

Take a moment, and reflect with us on the implications for our marine environment and its species who are being heavily impacted by this devastating and unprecedented event.

We invite you to watch and listen to this enlightening and moving Song for the Ocean by Kristin Hoffmann, with videography by Colin Garland. Written and recorded before the Fukushima and BP disasters, it resonates now more than ever.