Posts
TEPCO
may refuse to fund part of Fukushima decontamination
The
crippled Fukushima plant operator, TEPCO, is refusing to return more
than $300 million already spent in the decontamination of land
following the nuclear disaster to the Japanese government.
RT,
29
October, 2013
Under
the current framework, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) is
borrowing public money from the Japanese government to pay for the
decontamination work and the compensation to residents after the
March 2011 earthquake, which triggered a tsunami damaging Fukushima
Daiichi’s nuclear reactors. The company responsible for the
clean-up is also required to decommission the damaged nuclear
reactors at Fukushima Daiichi with its own funds.
On
Tuesday, Japan’s Ministry of Environment said that TEPCO is
unwilling to pay for work not directly involving decontamination, for
instance related to public relations, research and development.
TEPCO
“has said it will continue to think over whether it will reimburse
the government, so we understand that TEPCO has not finalized its
decision to completely refuse to pay it back,” said Satoshi
Watanabe of the Environment Ministry’s cleanup team, as cited by
the Japan Times.
TEPCO
has already paid $68.5 million, while the Environment Ministry has
invested more than $400 million, the Japan Times reports.
Watanabe
also hinted that TEPCO may be sued if it does not pay back the money,
adding that the company’s intentions are “totally unacceptable.”
While
the decontamination costs alone are estimated at more $50 billion,
the government has provided $30 billion, the Yomiuri Shimbun
reported.
Investigators
estimated that it will take the government up to 31 years to recover
the public funds from the money borrowed by TEPCO. Local media has
been speculating whether or not TEPCO will have the means to cover
the decontamination bill.
The
ruling Liberal Democratic Party has voiced concerns that it would be
impossible for TEPCO to cover the entire bill and said that it will
propose the government to cover part of the costs for decontamination
work.
“While
paying attention to the discussions in the party, we will consider
the proposal seriously if it is submitted to the government,” Chief
Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a news conference on
Tuesday.
Japan’s
Finance Minister Taro Aso supported the proposal saying “I have
doubts about the view that all responsibilities lie solely with
TEPCO, given that nuclear policy has been framed by the government.”
Part
of the decontamination work has been completed around the nuclear
facility, in an effort to speed up the return home of thousands of
families evacuated after the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami
that caused the meltdown.
Nevertheless
the radiation readings have not declined and TEPCO has been widely
criticized for failing to handle the leak of radioactive water into
the ocean.
The
LDP has proposed separating the role of government and TEPCO in the
contamination work. The party suggested handing the contaminated
water issue and decommissioning of reactors from TEPCO to a
government-affiliated organization, so the electric power company can
concentrate on its management and compensation payments.
TEPCO
in the meantime is scheduled to revise the financial rehabilitation
plan to its creditors and present it to the government.
Meanwhile,
in attempt to potentially save $1 billion on a monthly basis in fuel
costs, TEPCO is aiming to restart Kashiwazaki Kariwa, the largest
nuclear plant in the world, next April.
However,
the governor of Niigata Prefecture, where the plant is based said
that the company [TEPCO] must give a more thorough account of the
Fukushima disaster and address “institutionalized lying” in the
company, before it will be permitted to restart the nuclear reactors
in Kashiwazaki Kariwa.
“If
they don’t do what needs to be done, if they keep skimping on costs
and manipulating information, they can never be trusted,” Hirohiko
Izumida told Reuters on Monday, suggesting that TEPCO should be fully
stripped of responsibility for decommissioning at Fukushima.
Tepco
refuses to fund outside cleanup
Utility
leaves ministry holding ¥30 billion bill; exemption eyed
29
October, 2013
Tokyo
Electric Power Co. is refusing to reimburse the Environment Ministry
for more than ¥30 billion that was spent to decontaminate land hit
by radioactive fallout from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, the
ministry said Tuesday.
Under
the special decontamination law adopted in August 2011, the state is
responsible for leading and initially financing the decontamination
effort, but it can ask Tepco, responsible for the Fukushima crisis,
to pay the bill later.
Tepco
has paid ¥6.7 billion so far, while the Environment Ministry has
sought ¥40.4 billion.
The
ministry said Tepco is unwilling to pay for work not directly
involving decontamination. For instance, the bill includes costs
related to public relations and research and development.
The
¥6.7 billion Tepco has paid covers direct decontamination work such
as washing road surfaces and removing tainted soil.
According
to a document presented by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and
Industry to senior ruling party officials this month, Tepco is
insisting that shouldering the cost for decontamination as damages
will be “duplicate payments” because it is already compensating
for land and buildings.
Tepco
“has said it will continue to think over whether it will reimburse
the government, so we understand that Tepco has not finalized its
decision to completely refuse to pay it back,” said Satoshi
Watanabe of the Environment Ministry’s cleanup team, hinting Tepco
may be sued. “This situation is totally unacceptable.”
The
government has budgeted about ¥1.3 trillion for decontamination, of
which about ¥470 billion has been used.
Facing
trillions of yen in compensation payments for the Fukushima debacle
and soaring fuel costs for thermal power to replace nuclear, Tepco
may not even have the means to cover the decontamination bill.
Meanwhile,
METI is considering exempting Tepco from paying most of the cleanup
costs.
The
government has not reached a consensus on the move, which could
trigger a public backlash because it would mean further taxpayer
help.
METI
officials believe it would be difficult to win public approval for
releasing Tepco from all of the decontamination costs, but it is
considering limiting the bill to the ¥470 billion that has already
been used, the sources said.
Finance
Minister Taro Aso indicated Tuesday that his ministry may give the
green light to using government money to clean contaminated areas
around the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear complex.
“I
wonder if we can put all the blame on Tepco, given that (nuclear
policy) has been framed by the government,” Aso said.
TEPCO
likely to post mid-year profit
Tokyo
Electric Power Company is likely to post a profit in its midterm
earnings report.
29
October, 2013
The
operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is
expected to post about 1.1 billion dollars in profits for the
April-September period.
It
will be the company's first midterm profit since the nuclear accident
in March 2011.
Profits
rose due to an increase in electricity sales during this summer's
record heat wave, as well as a rise in household rates in September
of last year.
The
company instituted huge spending cuts that include putting off repair
work at other power plants and transmission facilities.
TEPCO
aims to post a profit for the full business year that ends in March
of 2014.
But
the company will continue to face the huge costs of compensation
related to the nuclear accident, as well as those of decommissioning
nuclear reactors and measures to handle contaminated wastewater at
the Fukushima plant.
TEPCO
wants to restart 2 reactors at the Kashiwazaki Kariwa plant to
improve earnings, but nuclear regulators have not yet begun the
required safety screening.
ENENews headlines
Crippled
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant needs international help
SCMP,
30
October, 2013
Japan
has a history of struggling to face up to the past. So, whether it
has the crisis at the stricken nuclear plant at Fukushima under
control, as it claims, has to be of concern. A disaster like none
before could occur if clean-up, stabilisation and decommissioning
operations are not handled properly. The series of failures, mistakes
and untruths since the earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown on
March 11, 2011, prove the government and operator, Tokyo Electric
Power Co., are ill-equipped to deal with the challenges. The threat
is global and a global response is urgently needed.
Prime
Minister Shinzo Abe has sent mixed signals, alternatively contending
that safety is not a problem and suggesting help is needed to deal
with radioactive water leaking into the Pacific Ocean. But this is no
matter to be vague about. Hiding the true nature of the problem could
prove catastrophic for the region and world. The leaks, dangerous to
sea life and fisheries if unchecked, are only one of three
challenges. The meltdown of three of the plant's six reactors has
left the precise location of the melted cores unknown, while 1,533 of
the 11,000 spent fuel rods that have to be removed are in a cooling
pool in a building that risks collapse should another large quake
hit. Highlighting the danger, workers were evacuated last Saturday
after a small offshore quake prompted a tsunami alert.
The
Fukushima Daiichi plant was ordered shut down by Abe only last month.
The operator acknowledged year-old claims by scientists of leaks of
radioactive water from storage tanks. Official inquiries found
negligence and a series of errors, while there had also been
deficiencies in the response to the disaster by the company,
regulators and the government.
These
are not matters to be taken lightly - the world has not seen a
nuclear disaster as severe since the worst-ever, at Chernobyl in the
Ukraine, in 1986. The government has pledged US$470 million to tackle
the leaks with unconventional and untried methods. The
decommissioning process could take at least 40 years. Removing the
spent rods will be difficult given the uncertainties. If any come
into contact with each other or are exposed to air, gases with high
levels of radiation will be released or, worse, there could be a
catastrophic explosion.
There
is a lack of trust in Japanese efforts to deal with the crisis. A
call to the UN by 16 nuclear experts in an open letter should be
heeded. Responsibility for the Fukushima site should be transferred
to a worldwide engineering group overseen by independent nuclear
scientists and a civil society panel
Fukushima
News 10/28/13: NRA Urges "Bold" Fukushima Action; Nuclear
Waste Disposal Challenged
Fukushima
News 10/29/13: Radioactive Forests; Running Out of Fuku Fighters;
Uncontrollable Fukushima
Fukushima
News 10/28/13: NRA Urges "Bold" Fukushima Action; Nuclear
Waste Disposal Challenged
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.