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Gov't announces plans for 10 contaminated waste storage facilities in Fukushima

11 Comments

The Environment Ministry has announced plans to build 10 interim radioactive waste storage and processing facilities in the two towns of Okuma and Naraha in Fukushima Prefecture. Each town will get five facilities which will be built underground.

However, the plan is likely to be opposed by local residents who say they have not been consulted. They say that the land is sacred to them and their ancestors, and that if a storage facility is built in the area, residents will never be able to return to their land.

Decontamination and recovery work in the area around the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has not made much progress since the March 11, 2011 disaster because neither previous DPJ-led government or the current government have been able to secure land for storing contaminated waste anywhere in japan.

According to the latest plan, approved by a panel of experts, two kinds of facilities will be built, Fuji TV reported. One will be equipped to burn contaminated waste and the other designed to store more highly toxic materials.

The Environment Ministry has not yet released the exact locations of the proposed sites. It said it will hold further discussions with local communities to gain their understanding.

Another plan being considered calls for the government to buy up or lease land that has been abandoned in the Futaba area where radiation doses are likely to exceed 100 millisieverts per year.

The facility, which would have concrete walls, would be used to store containers of contaminated soil and radioactive waste from the no-go zone and other areas in and around Fukushima Prefecture.

The waste will initially be stored for three years in short-term repositories while the government constructs bigger facilities for storage over a 30-year period.

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11 Comments
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"According to the latest plan, approved by a panel of experts, two kinds of facilities will be built, Fuji TV reported. One will be equipped to burn contaminated waste and the other designed to store more highly toxic materials."

And knowing how the gov't has been working on this issue along with TEPCO, we'll likely see the materials and construction sold to the lowest bidder.

They should DEFINITELY buy up the land that the structures will be built on.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

me thinks that Japan will be a nuclear processing and wasteland - I'm sure much waste is yet to come. :(

5 ( +6 / -1 )

They have to store these hundreds of tons of radioactive waste somewhere, but storing them close to the towns is not on. There are vast tracks of land nearer the plant that will never be habitable again that they should be earmarking for the storage facilities. Of course, nobody will be able to work in the facilities for extended periods of time, but it is the ideal place for storage. As for the incinerators, I wouldn't want one in my back yard either.

But, don't forget! It's under control! Right?

11 ( +13 / -2 )

Today 10, tomorrow 10 more, then 10 more. Like at the nuclear power plant site itself, the radiated garbage will continue to grow and grow with no end in sight. Somebody in charge better get their act together and start thinking of ways to get rid of the entire radioactive mess.

As for the residents of Okuma and Naraha, it sounds like the whole scheme is being shoved down their throats whether they like it or not.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

Buy abandoned land it should be a no brainer....Moving away only increases further problems with transport and potential for further disasters.and contamination.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Nimbyism in the exclusion zone?

Reality check, please!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

So, why has government waited for 3 yrs to do this? i hope the so-called underground silos will not have "holes' that "leak" the poisonous radiation particles into the underground water, the sea and entire food chain.....hard to trust anything these days....

5 ( +5 / -0 )

So we move from temporary storage to another temporary storage. Why are we not talking of building permanent storage area? Each move increases the chances of spills and stuff getting away. Do we even have the ability to build storage that will not leak for tens of thousands of years or more. Somehow I doubt it, so this is another "well we are doing something and someone is going to make lots of money off of it even if it does not work" moment.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Another plan being considered calls for the government to buy up or lease land that has been abandoned in the Futaba area where radiation doses are likely to exceed 100 millisieverts per year.

1) These areas have not been abandoned but evacuated. 2) Are they planning a leasing contract for 10,000 years?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Another knee-jerk reaction with little consideration for the future and possible consequences. But the great charade continues: (1) If you don't know what to do, well then do something and keep appearances up while gov't and TEPCO escape responsibility another step towards obscurity, (2) the tax-payers are footing all these bills anyway so who gives a hoot? (3) With leaked information from project-side and well coordinated bid-rigging on the vendor-side, our 'friends' will make tons of money... and in turn..... (4) By the time this stuff is realized I'll have retired or be out of office, and will have made a clean get-away.

Since this has spiraled out of control and is already recognized to be an incident with world-wide consequences, get some professional help, both for nuclear remediation and some mental care while you are at it.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I really would like to know what's going on at Fukushima. From what info TEPCO and the Central Government are letting out it sounds like a Benny Hill skit.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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