The situation in Japan remains extremely complicated, what with media reports about a volcano awakened by the earthquake, and yet another explosion at Fukushima Dai-ichi causing a dangerous radioactive discharge into the atmosphere. The radiation levels are now markedly above normal in the prefectures neighboring Fukushima, even in Tokyo: the radiation levels have periodically risen to 100 times above normal in Ibaraki, south of Fukushima, and up to 9-10 times in the Japanese capital region. Tokyo authorities have reported an insignificant amount of radioactive elements like iodine and cesium in the air.
Be that as it may, Japan has shown the world a good example of how man can weather the elements. On the one hand, the Japanese government made no secret of the disaster but kept the public informed about the situation in a timely fashion and issued clear-cut emergency conduct instructions. On the other hand, the population showed an exemplary behavior; there was no panic, no pillage — unlike other countries under such dire circumstances. Japan keeps fighting this disaster, and this dedicated effort inspires hope that the calamity will be overcome in the end, with as few negative consequences as possible.
While the Japanese are demonstrating their courage, the rest of the world appears to be gripped by the Chornobyl syndrome, not only because the rest of the world has once again shown its inability to cope with nuclear disaster. “The people in Europe and Austria ask themselves how secure are our reactors in Europe, around Austria. And that’s why I will ask today at the meeting of ministers for a stress test for European nuclear power stations,” Austrian Environment and Agriculture Minister Nikolaus Berlakovich told reporters on Monday. Public opinion forced Chancellor Angela Merkel to impose a three-month moratorium on Germany’s ambitious nuclear-plant-expansion projects. She explained that all such plants built before 1980 would be idling for three months until given a clean bill of nuclear health.
Germany, with its strong power engineering, can afford such early precautions against a threat thousands of miles away, by shutting down. Germany’s less prosperous neighbors, like Poland, can’t follow suit. Warsaw declared Monday they would keep building Poland’s first nuclear reactor regardless of safety technologies put to the hardest test in Japan. Cabinet spokesman Pawel Gras said, in an interview with Radio Poland, that this country would press on with plans to build its first two 3,000 MW nuclear power plants despite Europe’s renewed safety concern over the events in Japan; that the first power unit would start generating electricity before the end of 2020: “We’re looking for the best technologies, with safety/security arrangements remaining uppermost on the agenda.”
Power consumption dynamics in Ukraine show that discarding nuclear plants is a pricy luxury. Also, in accordance with the Power Development Strategy of Ukraine, adopted some five years ago, the domestic nuclear plants would supply close to 50 percent of Ukraine’s electricity. Ukraine plans to maintain that level until 2030. Hence the official “peaceful atom” line.
It is also true that none of Ukraine’s top-ranking bureaucrats has responded to international calls for top-notch safety technologies or principled criteria.
Enerhoatom’s press service told The Day that there was a formal statement, by way of response to Japan’s disaster: “In view of the fact that the earthquake in Japan has caused emergency power shutdowns at Fukushima-1, Enerhoatom has enhanced control over its main and ancillary power plants and networks.”
Says Yurii Nedashkovsky, president, Enerhoatom: “We must learn from the current emergency situation in Japan… We might have to alter our agenda and focus on upgrading the nuclear power plants in Ukraine.”
The Day knows that Nedashkovsky has signed a directive securing the nuclear power plant’s stable performance, whereby all Enerhoatom’s managerial personnel are to keep the facilities under round-the-clock control by maintaining constant telephone contact (sic); with the “directors” [i.e., officials in charge] of all of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants being instructed to enhance the output while readjusting evacuation plans and those of coordination with local authorities (e.g., the MNS Emergency Management Ministry, Derzhvodkhosprom State Water Supply Committee, “enterprises and organizations,” in a clear and present emergency. It is further necessary to analyze all possible internal and external threats, risks, and consequence involving the facilities under control.
Enerhoatom promises that all of Ukraine’s nuclear power stations will be checked for safety and emergency procedures, including early warning, search-and-rescue teams.
COMMENTARIES
OUR GOVERNMENT SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION TO NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
Serhii YERMILOV, deputy director, Institute of Ecology and Energy Saving; former head of Ukraine’s National Energy Efficiency Agency:
“The Japanese nuclear power plants have demonstrated an extraordinary degree of endurance when exposed to a heavy earthquake, and the situation only became dangerous with the tsunami onslaught. In other words, their defenses were defeated by the tsunami wave. Ukraine, unlike Japan, doesn’t have bodies of water directly connected to the world’s oceans, so our nuclear power stations were designed to withstand a considerably weaker onslaught from the elements. Therefore, our nuclear power generating facilities are way behind in terms of safety. It is also true that they are far better protected against quakes for natural reasons. While there is no considerable earthquake in Ukraine’s historical record, you can’t be too careful, not after what happened in Japan on March 11. You have to keep monitoring the situation, preparing for the worst. The Ukrainian government should pay more attention to the nuclear stations’ defenses. Ukraine and Russia have been showing effective collaboration in the nuclear sphere. Small wonder, considering the historical prerequisites. This collaboration should be intensified.”
PRIOR TO NUCLEAR DECLINE
Artur DENYSENKO, coordinator, Energy Program, National Ecological Center of Ukraine (addressing Channel 5 audiences):
“What is happening in Japan will doubtlessly affect the rest of the world, including Ukraine. Our world is living through a so-called Nuclear Renaissance, in other words the rebirth of nuclear power engineering and its enhanced progress. However, the events in Japan have cut this Renaissance process short. I believe it will be replaced by nuclear decline. I believe the status of nuclear power engineering will be altered in all these countries, including Ukraine.”
