I mean... it's really easy to beat a dead horse, isn't it. Okay.. .hands up... has anyone ever beaten a dead horse, and is it as easy as we think or do moral begin to play a part in the beating?
This is what TEPCO faces pretty much every day, being that it's damned if it does and damned if it doesn't.
On June 16, 2103, TEPCO suspects there is yet another leak in one of the holding tanks of the radioactive waste water.
So... it has decided to hold off on its running of tests of its water decontamination system.
It's good news in that it is trying to (finally) do the right thing, but bad news because further delays continue to make the shut-down and decontamination process further drawn out.
Over the past few months, the nuclear power station that generates electricity - or used to generate electricity - has had a plethora of leaks to its underground storage tanks, tanks that are used to cool the nuclear reactor cores... meaning TEPCO has been forced to use above-ground water storage tanks... they have to keep the core cool, or else someone's going to get radioactive.
Unfortunately, this time there's a leak in these above ground tanks...
Who the hell is making these tanks?
Is it a manufacturing design flaw, or is TEPCO not utilizing these tanks in a safe manner, or have they always been on the Dai-ichi grounds in Fukushima-ken and have been damaged by either the 9.0 Magnitutde earthquake that precipitated the deadly tsunami that smashed into the facility?
Basically, I am asking why these tanks are leaking. It may not be TEPCO's fault. It may be the manufacturer's or it's simply what insurance companies call 'an act of god'.
It's too bad that the testing had to stop, as the Alps decontamination system is supposed remove 62 different radioactive substances from the plant's contaminated waste water.
Just recall that this process was still in its infancy, as TEPCO was testing its effectiveness... though I should point out that these test had been on-going since March... and though they were scheduled to conclude at the end of July... perhaps the data already collected will be enough to determine if the Alps decontamination systems will be an effective solution at Dai-ichi.
For now... let's hope TEPCO can solve the leaking water storage problem quickly and ensure that it will not occur again, so that proper clean-up of the facility can begin in earnest.
As for questioning whether or not I have gone soft on TEPCO, I prefer not to continue to beat a dead horse, and just want things to come to their eventual and safe conclusion for all involved.
Cheers
Andrew Joseph
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