Japan
Japan’s response to the nuclear crisis that followed the 11 March tsunami was confused and riddled with problems, including an erroneous assumption an emergency cooling system was working and a delay in disclosing dangerous radiation leaks, a report revealed yesterday. The disturbing picture of bumbling workers and government officials scrambling to respond to the problems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant was contained in the report which detailed a government investigation. The 507-page interim report, compiled by interviewing more than 400 people, found authorities had grossly underestimated tsunami risks, assuming the highest wave would be 20ft. The tsunami hit at over twice that height.
Independent 27th Dec 2011 more >>
Guardian 26th Dec 2011 more >>
Daily Mail 26th Dec 2011 more >>
Telegraph 26th Dec 2011 more >>
The operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant and its regulators all failed in their duty to adequately prepare for and respond promptly to a major emergency, contributing to the worst nuclear accident in a quarter century, according to a committee investigating the disaster.
FT 26th Dec 2011 more >>
Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has asked the government for an extra 690bn yen ($9bn; £5.6bn) to compensate victims of the nuclear crisis. The company, which controls the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, is facing almost $100bn (£64bn) in compensation claims.
BBC 27th Dec 2011 more >>
Renewables
Official figures disclosed that 17 operators were paid almost £7 million for shutting down their farms on almost 40 ¬occasions between January and mid-September. Continuing to make payments at that rate would lead to householders paying out £9.9 million in 2011 for operators to disconnect their turbines from the National Grid.
Telegraph 27th Dec 2011 more >>
Obituary
Coningsby Allday, who has died aged 91, was a leader of the nuclear industry as chief executive of British Nuclear Fuels Ltd, and played a key role in the development of the Windscale (now Sellafield) plant for the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.
Telegraph 26th Dec 2011 more >>
