Year
2016
File Attachment
F5042.pdf2.15 MB
Abstract
The accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO’s) Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) that followed the Tohoku District-Off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake, occurred on March 11, 2011, caused radioactive contamination. The national and local governments have been proceeding with off-site decontamination activities and the treatment of removed soils and wastes generated by them. In Fukushima Prefecture, construction of the Interim Storage Facility (ISF) was planned for the safe storage and management of removed soils and wastes which are temporarily stored in separate locations across the prefecture, until final disposal. Prompt and continuous transport of removed soils and wastes to the ISF is essential for the reconstruction and revitalization of Fukushima Prefecture.In order to ascertain the safety and security of transporting a large volume of removed soils, the experimental transport program was implemented for about a year from March 2015. During this pilot transportation, approximately 1,000 m3 of removed soils were transported from each of the 43 municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture. By looking at the three stages of the pilot transportation scheme: shipping from temporary storage sites (TSSs); transportation; and unloading at the ISF sites, the verification of the transportation was conducted regarding: (1) impact on residents; (2) impact on workers; and (3) efficiency and smoothness of operation. As a result, general safety throughout the whole of the transportation processes was confirmed. The MOE decided to proceed to the more rapid transportation from FY2016 onward, increasing the volume to be transported. The MOE plans to increase the volume in stages according to the progress made in land acquisition for the ISF, the construction status of the facilities, and the condition of the improvement of the road infrastructure within Fukushima Prefecture.