September 8, 2011
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on September 7 refused to submit to the Diet the Fukushima plant’s operating manual for dealing with the severe accidents that occurred in the wake of the 3.11 tsunami on the grounds that the manual is protected by TEPCO’s intellectual property rights. Furthermore, TEPCO’s regular operating manual submitted on September 2 to the Diet was almost completely blacked out.
“It is doubtful if TEPCO really had a specific manual to deal with cases of severe accidents due to a possibility of station blackout,” said Japanese Communist Party Dietmember Yoshii Hidekatsu.
These operating manuals should provide vital information in determining the causes of the accident.
The tsunami caused the loss of electricity and destroyed the cooling system at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. It has been reported that initial responses to the accident were too slow, such as putting cooling water in and opening the vents at the damaged reactors.
It is necessary to examine what exactly was done when responding to the accident and whether the operation manuals took into account the possibility of station blackout.
“It is doubtful if TEPCO really had a specific manual to deal with cases of severe accidents due to a possibility of station blackout,” said Japanese Communist Party Dietmember Yoshii Hidekatsu.
These operating manuals should provide vital information in determining the causes of the accident.
The tsunami caused the loss of electricity and destroyed the cooling system at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. It has been reported that initial responses to the accident were too slow, such as putting cooling water in and opening the vents at the damaged reactors.
It is necessary to examine what exactly was done when responding to the accident and whether the operation manuals took into account the possibility of station blackout.
