Nuclear experts blast Fukushima operator Tepco over leaks
Foreign nuclear experts on Friday blasted the operator of Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, with one saying its lack of transparency over radioactive water leaks showed “you don’t know what you’re doing”.
The blunt criticism comes after a litany of problems at the reactor site, which was swamped by a tsunami two years ago. The disaster sent reactors into meltdown and forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents in the worst atomic accident in a generation.
This action regarding the water contamination demonstrates a lack of conservative decision-making process
Earlier this week, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) admitted for the first time that radioactive groundwater had leaked outside the shattered plant, confirming long-held suspicions of ocean contamination.
“This action regarding the water contamination demonstrates a lack of conservative decision-making process,” Dale Klein, former head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), told a panel in Tokyo.
“It also appears that you are not keeping the people of Japan informed. These actions indicate that you don’t know what you are doing ... you do not have a plan and that you are not doing all you can to protect the environment and the people.”
Klein is part of a Tepco-sponsored nuclear reform monitoring panel composed of two foreign experts and four Japanese including the company’s chairman.