The water problem is so severe that the nuclear energy plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), and its myriad partner firms have enlisted almost all of their 6,000 workers in the 2-trillion yen mission to bring it under control, almost four years after a deadly tsunami sparked a triple meltdown at the plant. But Fukushima Daiichi’s manager, Akira Ono, said he believed workers had turned a corner in the long road towards decommissioning. "It’s possible to say that we can now start to look forward,” he added. Each day about 400 tonnes of groundwater streams from hills behind the plant and into the basements of three stricken reactors, where it mixes with coolant water being used to prevent melted fuel from overheating and triggering another major accident. Most of the contaminated water is pumped out and stored in tanks, but large quantities find their way to other parts of the site, including maintenance trenches connected to the sea. The contaminated water is the most pressing issue. Unfortunately, previous versions of Tepco’s Alps (advanced liquid processing system) water treatment unit were plagued by technical hitches. In addition, tanks used to store the contaminated water were poorly assembled and suffered serious leaks, while plans to freeze water that has gathered in a trench near the damaged reactors are eight months behind schedule. Despite doubts about its effectiveness, Tepco officials say the wall should be finished by next March, and completely frozen by May. Along with the underground “ice wall”, the utility is pinning its hopes on a new version of its Alps water treatment system that can remove more than 60 radioactive elements. Recent “hot testing” of the apparatus has been successful, because this is a high-performance system; it uses only filters and absorbents to remove the contaminants. As Japan moves closer to a return to nuclear power after the local authorities on the south western island of Kyushu this month gave their approval for reactor restarts, Tepco can claim a significant victory in its efforts to improve safety at Fukushima Daiichi. Tepco has yet to begin removing melted fuel from reactors 1, 2 and 3, where radiation levels are too high for humans to enter. Tepco engineers admit they do not know exactly where the damaged fuel is located. Robots have been used to inspect debris inside reactor buildings, but none have been able to get anywhere near the melted fuel. The dangers posed by this unprecedented operation recently forced Tepco and the government to delay the planned start of fuel removal from reactor No 1 by five years, to 2025. Decommissioning the entire plant is expected to take at least 40 years. The operation, including compensation for tens of thousands of people forced to evacuate their homes, will cost around 10 trillion yen (US$85 billion). The gLAWcal Team POREEN project Wednesday, 19 November 2014 (Source: China Dialogue)