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NuclearPlantJournal.com Nuclear Plant Journal, September-October 2014
Currently at Fukushima Daiichi,
since the main control rooms for Units
1, 2, 3, and 4 are nonfunctional, many of
the control functions for the core cooling,
water treatment, and other systems are
located in the seismic isolation building.
7.
Is TEPCO keeping a log of all the
lessons learned from Fukushima Daiichi
accident?
Absolutely. Among the abundant
information on TEPCO’s website, one of
the most important reports is the TEPCO
internal investigation report issued on
June 20, 2012. It is a comprehensive
compilation of the factual account plus
lessons learned from the accident. It has
been translated in English. There have
also been many new findings since this
report was issued and they are posted on
our website as well. On August 6, 2014
the second progress report on unresolved
issues was made public, in which we
described in detail four major issues that
we believe are important from a nuclear-
safety point of view. One of the issues
that is discussed in this report is the
mechanism of Unit 3 RCIC (Reactor
Core Isolation Cooling) that tripped on
day 2 of the accident when there was DC
power still available.
8.
Concluding remarks.
It is TEPCO’s responsibility to share
accurate facts and the lessons learned
from the accident at both Fukushima
Daiichi and Fukushima Daini. We are
trying our best to be transparent and open
not only about information during the
time of the accident but also information
on what is currently unfolding at
Fukushima Daiichi and actions that we
are taking. However, I understand that
for most people it is very challenging to
sort through all the information. There
is simply too much information and
it is difficult to identify the important
information from the not so important
one. Also, there is the language issue (not
all information is translated in English.)
Therefore, part of my job in DC is to go
through all of the information everyday
and understand what’s happening and
then identify the information that I
believe is most relevant to the US nuclear
industry and share such information.
Sharing information about Fukushima
for the sake of enhancing nuclear safety
is something, I feel personally passionate
about. I truly appreciate all the people
and organizations that have provided me
with opportunities to share the story from
TEPCO’s perspective and allowed me to
do what is right for the nuclear industry
and the global community.
I have been hosting weekly tele-
conferences to inform people interested
in this topic for the past two-and-a-half
years. If there is anyone who wishes to
learn more about Fukushima, please send
me an email and I will be happy to add
the person to my distribution list for the
notification email that I send out prior to
the call.
Contact: Kenji Tateiwa, Tokyo
Electric Power Company, Washington
Office, 2121 K Street, NW Suite 910,
Washington, DC 20037; telephone:
Fukushima Update...
