The Role of the Tokyo Electric Power Company in

the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

Disaster of 2011Gonzalo J. Sequeira

University of Texas at AustinDepartment of Chemical Engineering

(BBC, 2011)

What Happened at Fukushima Nuclear Power Station I (NPSI)

• Meltdown began after earthquake• Emergency shut down triggered emergency

diesel generators (EDGs)• Tsunami struck coast• EDGs flooded and NPSI lost power

(National Diet of Japan, 2012)

TEPCO

• Largest electricity provider in Japan• Largest private owned utility in the

world• NPSI built in March 1971

Tokyo Electric Power Company

(Our Parent Company TEPCO; TEPCO, 2011; Image Tokyo Electric Power Company, 2005)

The Fallout• Disaster was man-made• Influenced by actions of TEPCO and government • TEPCO ignored renovating NPSI to withstand

tsunami• Impacted the nuclear industry, environment, and

the Japanese

Scope and LimitationsWill Be Discussed Won’t be Discussed

• Events leading up to and following the explosion of NPSI

• TEPCO’s role in NPSI explosion

• Japanese government’s or Nuclear and Industrial Safety Industry’s (NISA) role

• NPSI explosion’s global impact

• The events concerning other reactors at Fukushima

Agenda• Nuclear Reactor 101: How a Boiling Water Reactor

(BWR) Works

• Vulnerabilities in Design of NPSI

• Sequence of Events of NPSI explosion

• Ethical Evaluation of TEPCO’s actions

Nuclear Reactor 101• Nuclear fission

o Uranium pellets• Control Rods• Steam from boiling

water• Turn turbine to make

electricity• Condenser cools feed

water• Pump sends water to

reactor

(HowStuffWorks, 2011)

Pre-Crisis• NISA and TEPCO studies showed vulnerabilities to

flooding• TEPCO thought any disaster above specification

was an anomaly• Ignored warnings and conclusions, even when

backed with data

(National Diet of Japan, 2012)

Pre Crisis• Height of sea wall, pumps, and EDGs were lower

than updated standards• EDG room was susceptible to flooding• Operators not trained well for emergencies• “Business-as-usual” attitude

(National Diet of Japan, 2012)

Timeline• Magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck Japan

• Reactors immediately “scrammed”

Timeline

• Tsunami waves struck around an hour after earthquake

• Loss of all electricity

Timeline

• Fuel rods melted and created hydrogen gas• Operators vented to reduce pressure of hydrogen

and steam• NPSI Exploded

Evaluation of TEPCO’s actions

• TEPCO’s actions concerning NPSI were unethical based on International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safety Standards

• Violationso Principles 1 & 3

• Ignoring regulatory agency warningso Principle 5

• Failure to renovate to meet current safety specificationo Principle 8 & 9

• Lack of emergency preparation prior to explosion

The VerdictTEPCO was unethical in their actions prior to the NPSI explosion

• Knew about design flaws• Exhibited insufficient emergency

preparation and procedure• Put production and convenience ahead

of safety

Further Questions

• Has TEPCO explored alternative reactors to BWRs?

• Has TEPCO revised its safety procedures?

• Has TEPCO studied alternative energy sources other than nuclear?

Questions?

ReferencesActon, J. M., & Hibbs, M. (2012). Why Fukushima was Preventable. Washington D.C.: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.BBC. (2011, March 14). Japan earthquake: Meltdown alert at Fukushima reactor.      Retrieved April 22, 2014, from BBC website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/      world-asia-pacific-12733393 Brain, M., & Lamb, R. (n.d.). How Nuclear Power Works. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from How Stuff Works website: http:// science.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htmCold Shutdowns at Fukushima Daini. (2011, March 14). Retrieved November 8, 2012,       from http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/RS_Cold_shutdowns_at_Fukushima_Daini_1403112.html IAEA Safety Standards. (2010). Retrieved April 22, 2014, from http://www.iaea.org/National Diet National Diet of Japan Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission. (2012, July). The Fukushima nuclear accident independent investigation commission (Report) (K. Kurokawa, K. Oshima, H. Sakiyama, M. Sakurai, K. Tanaka, M. Tanaka, . . . K. Ishibashi, Authors).Our Parent Company TEPCO. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2012, from Tokyo Electric Power

Services Co., Ltd. website: http://www.tepsco.co.jp/oversea/about_tepco.htmlSorensen, K. (2011, March 15). Explainer: What Caused The Incident At Fukushima-Daiichi. Retrieved April 22, 2014, from Forbes website: http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2011/03/15/explainer-what-caused-the-incident-at- fukushima-daiichi/Tabuchi, H. (2012, July 5). Inquiry declares Fukushima crisis a man-made disaster. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/06/world/asia/fukushima-nuclear-crisis-a-man-made-disaster-report-

says.html