Large outbreak of jellyfish swarm Japan’s only restarted nuclear plant — May delay full operation of reactor

Published: July 8th, 2012 at 1:03 pm ET
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July 8, 2012 report in the Fukui Shinbun translated by EXSKF:

Reactor 3 at Ooi Nuclear Power Plant power decline due to jellyfish, full operation may get delayed

Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency and KEPCO announced on July 8 that due to a large outbreak of jellyfish at the water intake for Reactor 3 [...] the electrical output decreased slightly. The full operation is scheduled at about 1AM on July 9, but that may be delayed. 

According to KEPCO, jellyfish swarmed the water intake [...]

KEPCO will delay the full operation if jellyfish don’t go away by 9PM on July 8. The full operation may not start until 7AM on July 9.

Published: July 8th, 2012 at 1:03 pm ET
By
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43 comments

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43 comments to Large outbreak of jellyfish swarm Japan’s only restarted nuclear plant — May delay full operation of reactor

  • potmander

    Even the jellyfish are protesting! Go Japan!


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    • omniversling

      Yet again, jellyfish passing the human intelligence experiment, where science/politics/MIC fails epically…as with nuclear in general, particularly referencing the outbreaks of cyanobacterium, we're witnessing evolution in reverse…


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  • dharmasyd

    Let's hear it for the jelly fish! Last year they shut down two plants in the US east coast. And now this! What do they know that we don't? Are they attracted to the warmer water near the plants?


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  • HoTaters HoTaters

    Maybe God or the Powers That Be in the Universe are tired of this nonsense.


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  • sonnen.blum.239 sonnen.blum.239

    jelly fish routinely obstruct the large water intakes at the Port St Lucie NPP in FL USA here. You best not fuck with mother nature. Road kill is a protest we need to listen to. I like the constitution of Ecuador, which is the only constitituion in the world to acknowledge that nature has rights and a life itself, and without it, we are definietly screwed.


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  • andagi

    Power to the jelly fish! Can these big reactors be made smaller, hence 'safer'? You all are like my best friends. Thank you Admin for ENENEWS. I've been following since the beginning and just now got courage to speak. I'm manini within this place, yet seek truth and greater good. Aloha to all and thank you for being 'you'.


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    • durando durando

      andagi,thank you for gaining the courage to put your 2 cents in and hopefully more will follow your example.

      As for smaller reactors yes they can and do make smaller reactors such as those found on nuclear subs, nuclear carriers etc.

      But in my humble opinion we will never see a truly safe reactor regardless of its size. There was a kid years ago that built a simple table top reactor in a shed in the back yard and had to have his property decontaminated and the shed was treated as nuclear waste.

      This link is about the kid previously mentioned there is more on the net about him and his experience if your ever interested. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hahn

      All nuclear reactions create waste biproducts that take millions of years before they are "safe" so even if we had a million small reactors you'd still have waste and potential for nuclear accidents.


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      • dunno

        Where was reactor in Oak Ridge National labs, which was called Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molten-Salt_Reactor_Experiment). Now this reactor is know as liquid fluoride thorium reactor, which is much more safe than light water reactor (LWR), due to passive safety systems (e.g. frozen salt plug), produce 200 time less waste than LWR, and also waste is only radioactive 300 years. In these reactors no meltdown can took place, because fuel is already melted at low temperature and this reactor have negative temperature coefficient, which ensure passive safety. These kind of reactors can burn existing long lived waste from LWR and etc. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_fluoride_thorium_reactor)


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        • richard richard

          "only radioactive (for) 300 years" – oh, so like that's ok then.

          I've said it before, it's the height of selfish, ignorant indulgence to turn on your air-conditioner at the expense of someone elses future. It's just sick. You'll never convince me otherwise.

          just turn off the accessories and go renewable. It's only money making monopolies that want it any other way. Why do you suck up to big corp like that? At the expense of your and your descendants. Or do you just simply don't get that either.


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          • richard richard

            'dunno' – i'd particularly like a reply to the question of 300 years. I want you to try and convince me why 300 years is an acceptable time for decomposition. And a reflection of the effects that may have on the population of the future.

            HoTaters has done a good job detailing extended time frames that are scarey enough. But let's not ponder that for now.

            Just simply consider the 300 years and tell me how it's justified. I really, really want to hear this.


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        • richard richard

          I wanted to consider 300 years, in case you hadn't, because your idea made me laugh so much.

          Let's see, 300 years .. mmmm

          That's roughly 10 generations. Your heritage will be long forgotten. Do you know any of your descendants more then even three generations back?

          - Captain Cook landed in Australia in 1770. From invasion to a nation in less then 300 years. Some changes there hey?

          - The USA Independence Day is July 4, 1776. Hmm. Still not 300 years. Do you want me to describe changes since then? (Hint, they didn't have electricity).

          - Apparently, Milky Way's Monster Black Hole Awoke 300 Years Ago – http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2009/09/milky-ways-supermassive-monster-awoke-300-years-ago.html

          - Twinings of London – 300 years of expertise – http://www.twinings.com/int/leaf_to_cup.php
          Now that's good going. But they're not trying to manage something that will melt your arm off if you touch it. (Hint, they didn't have electricity).

          - Imagine another kind of world war two. For 5, 10, 15 years. How much reserve and attended energy is guaranteed for the storage of your toxic poison? And in 300 years, you could have one or two or three interval 'gap' years such as that.

          Imagine a virus that left has the world brain dead .. oh, hang on …

          - Here's a 300 year old online database ;) http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

          Go take a look, see what can happen in 300 years. jeesh.


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        • HoTaters HoTaters

          Thorium 232, half life 14.05 billion years

          2 dunno, where does all the Thorium go, hmmn? Little harmful waste?

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium

          "In nature, virtually all thorium is found as thorium-232, and it decays by emitting an alpha particle, and has a half-life of about 14.05 billion years (other, trace-level isotopes of thorium are short-lived intermediates of decay chains). It is estimated to be about four times more abundant than uranium in the Earth's crust and is a by-product of the extraction of rare earths from monazite sands."

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_fluoride_thorium_reactor

          "The liquid fluoride thorium reactor (acronym LFTR; spoken as lifter) is a thermal breeder reactor which uses the thorium fuel cycle in a fluoride-based molten (liquid) salt fuel to achieve high operating temperatures at atmospheric pressure….

          Examples of fissile fuels are U-233, U-235 and Pu-239. The second type of fuel is called fertile. Examples of fertile fuel are Th-232 (mined thorium) and U-238 (mined uranium)."

          You're trying to tell us this is safe? Does the Thorium, Uranium, and Plutonium get magically transmuted into nothing, and how does that happen? Are you trying to do another one of those pro-nuke snow jobs we've all become so familiar with as we've educated ourselves about nuclear technology? Any dunce who can go to Wikipedia and has an IQ over room temperature can figure this out.

          Oh, and Fluoride, give me more of that. Yum.


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          • HoTaters HoTaters

            2 mi compadres here: no offence meant. This dunno fellow can sound very convincing if one accepts his/her statements at face value. Caution advised! Troll dis-info alert.

            We're all aware the nuclear industry has claimed its technology is safe, clean, and green since the beginning.

            All lies.

            What environmental impact do you suppose the mining of Thorium would have, if it is such an abundant earth element? The horrendous health and environmental effects of uranium mining are well documented. If things follow their typical course, thorium mining will proceed with little environmental or health oversight, until some disaster happens.

            Maybe someone can address the potential health effects of being exposed to Thorium 232?


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            • HoTaters HoTaters

              2 dunno, no risk?

              http://www.evs.anl.gov/pub/doc/Thorium.pdf

              "Of the amount entering the blood, about 70% deposits in bone where it is retained with a biological half-life of about 22 years, 4% deposits in the liver where it is retained with a biological half-life of 700 days, and 16% is uniformly distributed to all other organs and tissues of the body where it is cleared with a biological half-life of 700 days. (per simplified models that do not reflect intermediate redistribution). Most of the remaining 10% is directly excreted. Thorium is predominantly deposited on the endosteal surfaces of mineral bone and only slowly redistributes throughout the bone volume."


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              • HoTaters HoTaters

                Continued from Thorium.pdf above:

                "What Are the Primary Health Effects? Thorium is generally a health hazard only if it is taken into the body. External gamma exposure is not a major concern because thorium emits only a small amount of gamma radiation. Although thorium-229 has a much higher gamma component than either thorium-232 or thorium-230, thorium-229 comprises a very small fraction of natural thorium. (Note … if significant concentrations of radium occur along with thorium … the external gamma dose associated with the radium must also be addressed.) The major means of exposure to thorium are ingestion of food and water containing thorium and inhalation of thorium-contaminated dust. Ingestion is generally the main exposure concern, unless there is a nearby source of airborne dust containing thorium such as uranium mill tailings. Thorium is taken up in the body much more readily if inhaled rather than ingested (see table below), so both exposure routes can be important. The main health concern for environmental exposures is generally bone cancer ….

                Most of the human data for thorium exposure comes from diagnostic studies.Colloidal thorium-232 dioxide (Thorotrast) was injected into patients as a radiographic contrast medium between 1928 and 1955. The epidemiological data from these studies show … primary health effects of high doses of injected Thorotrast are blood disorders and liver tumors. Some evidence of increased incidence of lung … "


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                • HoTaters HoTaters

                  Continued from Thorium.pdf above:

                  " …pancreatic, and hematopoietic cancers was found in workers occupationally exposed to thorium via inhalation. However, these workers were also exposed to several other toxic agents, so direct causation cannot be inferred.

                  Lifetime cancer mortality risk coefficients have been calculated for nearly all radionuclides, including thorium (see box at right). The risk coefficients for the isotopes of most concern (thorium-230 and thorium-232) are similar. While the coefficients for thorium-229 are about five to eight times higher, this isotope is generally not of concern at DOE sites. "

                  The reason it is not of concern at DOE sites is it is presently not used in the nuclear fuel cycle (thorium reactors not commonly in use at this time).

                  If the usual nuclear industry sleight of hand is practiced here, it will be said the risk of radiation exposure is not significant, and DOE data validates its safety. We've all seen this cat and mouse game before. Like the reverse of Catch-22. Because the chicken, ergo the egg. Because the egg, ergo the chicken.


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                • HoTaters HoTaters

                  And ingestion is ALWAYS the primary concern according to the Linear No-Dose Threshold model of radiation exposure. Which the pro-nuclear group does not recognize, even though it is the scientifically accepted model. The National Academy of Sciences is just one group supporting the LNDT model.


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                  • HoTaters HoTaters

                    RE: the Thorium "presently not of concern at DOE sites," consider the DOE and IAEA are spearheading the effort to develop Thorium reactors.

                    It is true there is much less weapons grade material which can be recovered. It is also true there is overall less waste. This does not mean the risk of the waste that is produced is insignificant.

                    dunno, you'll need to go into much more detail to justify why we need Thorium reactors before we'll begin to consider them an acceptable alternative to LWR's and BWR's. Blanket generalizations about safety and efficacy will not do.

                    http://www.bellona.org/articles/articles_2008/thorium_unsafe

                    Thorium is not an environmentally safe alternative type of nuclear energy, Norwegian report says
                    Part of: Nuclear energy
                    The cooling towers of Sellafield's Calder Hall Magnox reactors. Bellona Archive
                    Related articles

                    Are thorium reactors the solution? Coal and renewable energy are the road for now
                    (09/11-2006)
                    Thorium-Based Fuel May Play Role in Plutonium Disposition
                    (08/05-2003)
                    "A new report from the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority (NRPA) has revealed that thorium-based nuclear energy plants – once vaunted as a clean alternative type of nuclear energy – have the same negative environmental consequences as their uranium-based cousins do.
                    Bellona, 20/10-2008 – Translated by Charles Digges"


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            • HoTaters HoTaters

              BTW, ingestion to Thorium and exposure to Thorium has occurred in uranium mining operations. It is mentioned in one of the articles cited in my comments above.


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  • andagi

    I've heard Japanese folks have kept them as exotic pets.


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    • GeoHarvey

      Interesting notion. I never heard that. I know some species are important sources of food for certain animals, such as the leatherback sea turtle, which eats cannonball jellyfish. Cannonball jellyfish are also used in the cuisines of some countries.


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  • demo demo

    diaphanous beauties. who'd've thunk they'd save the world.


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  • TheBigPicture TheBigPicture

    Unfortunately the jellyfish will get a dose of radiation, as does anyone that gets within 50 miles of any nuclear plant.


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  • W8R W8R

    That something so flimsy, so slight as a jelly, could stop something so powerful, is a miracle…
    +1000 for "Go Jellyfish"….


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  • or-well

    When "Jellies For Justice!"
    swarm the intakes
    the nuclear industry jiggles and shakes
    like jelled buffet salad with marshmallow flakes
    and yesterdays leftover kitchen mistakes.
    "Go away Jellies, by July 8th
    at precisely 9 PM!
    If not, serious action we'll take
    and give you bad press from our PR men!
    Then, making sure no cameras are looking
    we'll send men in boats to give you a hooking
    and scoop you in tons from what we call OUR water
    and with no thought of mercy take you to slaughter!
    Why, when with poison our own people we prod
    should we not kill you inconvenient blobs?"
    "Because," say the Jellies "your intakes we're swarming
    to give about vulnerabilities warning!
    It's all we can do with limited mobility
    to draw attention to your Hillbillity
    and your moonshine madness nightmare ruthless
    that will make our needed ocean for Life quite useless!"
    Hooray for the Jellies who do what they can!
    No more restarts of nukes in Japan!


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  • andagi

    Thank you Durando and all. 'Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion.' Hope you have a good evening. Aloha.


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  • ITSNOTABANANA

    Jellyfish? Is that how Tepco sees the hopefully thousands of people blocking the entrance of the plant?… Jellyfish?


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  • Longjohn119

    Sounds to me like a lame excuse to cover up what is really causing the delay, something more important and dangerous than jellyfish ….


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