Opening Remarks – Technical Briefing (21/3/2011)

1. Current Situation

We are seeing some steady improvements, but the overall situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant remains very serious. High levels of contamination have been measured in the locality of the plant.

The restoration of electrical power to Unit 2, which we reported yesterday, is good news. AC power is available and an electrical load check to pumps etc. is currently on-going. Work on the restoration of off-site power to Units 3 and 4 is also underway.

Seawater is still being injected into the reactor pressure vessels of Units 1, 2 and 3.

Pressure in the reactor pressure vessel and the containment vessel drywell at Unit 3, which had been rising yesterday, has again fallen.

Water is being sprayed periodically into the spent fuel pools at Units 2, 3 and 4. The Agency still lacks data on water levels and temperatures in the spent fuel pools at Units 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Following the restoration of cooling at Units 5 and 6, temperatures in the spent fuel pools continue to decline.

2. Radiation Monitoring

As I reported yesterday, the IAEA radiation monitoring team took measurements at distances from 56 to 200 km from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. At two locations in Fukushima Prefecture gamma dose rate and beta-gamma contamination measurements have been repeated. These measurements showed high beta-gamma contamination levels. Measurements by the IAEA and the Japanese authorities were taken at the same time and locations. The Japanese and independent IAEA measurements gave comparable results.

Measurement of gamma dose rate and beta-gamma contamination were taken on 20 March at more locations. The dose-rate results ranged from 2-160 microsieverts per hour, which compares to a typical natural background level of around 0.1 microsieverts per hour. High-levels of beta-gamma contamination have been measured between 16-58 km from the plant. Available results show contamination ranging from 0.2-0.9 MBq per square metre.

Further measurements are needed to assess possible contamination beyond the area currently monitored – both closer to the facility and further way. We have no contamination measurements showing that that contamination levels are high at greater distances than 58 km from the plant, but this cannot be excluded.

I have no further information available regarding the measurement of alpha radiation. As I reported yesterday, from the measurements taken within the evacuation zone (20 km), no significant alpha radiation had been detected at that time.

In the coming days, the IAEA monitoring team will continue to take measurements in the Fukushima prefecture. We are seeking data from Japan on radioactivity contamination measurements for the rest of Japan.

Some results on the monitoring of foodstuffs have been made available by Japan to the IAEA and FAO. Results provided recently by the Japanese authorities range up to 55,000 Bq per kg of I-131 in samples of Spinach taken in in the Ibaraki Prefecture. These high values are significantly above Japanese limits for restricting food consumption (i.e. 2,000 Bq/kg). I understand that the Japanese Government is actively considering relevant precautionary measures and has instructed four Prefectures (Ibaraki, Totigi, Gunma, Fukushima) to refrain, for the time being, from distributing two types of vegetables (spinach and kakina) from these Prefectures and milk from Fukshima.

3. Agency Activities

The Director General briefed the Board of Governors today on the outcome of his visit to Tokyo.

Unit 1 2 3 4

Power (MWe /MWth) 460/1380 784/2381 784/2381 784/2381

Type of Reactor BWR-3 BWR-4 BWR-4 BWR-4

Status at time of EQ In service – auto shutdown

In service – auto shutdown

In service – auto shutdown

Outage

Core and fuel integrity Damaged Damaged Damaged No fuel in the Reactor

RPV & RCS integrity Unknown Unknown Unknown Not applicable due to outage plant statusContainment integrity Not Damaged Damage suspected No information

AC Power Substation connected AC Power available –Load check is ongoing

Not available Not available

Building Severe damage Slight damage Severe damage Severe damage

Water level of RPVAround half of Fuel is uncovered (Stable)

Around half of Fuel is uncovered (Stable)

Around half of Fuel is uncovered (Stable)

Not applicable due to outage plant status

Pressure of RPV Stabilized Unreliable Readings Decreased

CV Pressure Drywell Stable Stable Decreased

Water injection to RPV Seawater Seawater Seawater

Water injection to CV No information No information No information

Spent Fuel Pool Status No informationPeriodic spraying from outside

Periodic spraying from outside

Periodic spraying from outside

3/21/2011 07:00 AM

Unit 5 6

Power 784/2381 1100/3293

Type of Reactor BWR-4 BWR-5

Status at the EQ occurred Outage Outage

Core and Fuel Cold Shutdown Cold Shutdown

RPV & RCS integrity Intact Intact

Containment int. No damage expected No damage expected

AC Power 2nd Emergency diesel from Unit 6

Emergency dieselOff-site power being restored

Building No damage reported No damage reported

Water level of RPV Above fuel Above fuel

Pressure of RPV Cooling restored Cooling restored

Containment Pressure No information No information

Water injection to RPV Injection in Progress Injection in Progress

Water injection to CV Not needed now Not needed now

Spent Fuel Pool Status Cooling restored Cooling restored

Severe condition

Concern

No immediate concern

3/21/2011 07:00 AM

IAEAInternational Atomic Energy Agency

Technical Briefing on theRadiological Situation in Japan

21 March 2011

IAEA

Daiichi NPP On-Site gamma dose rate (updated)

IAEA

Evolution of gamma dose rates after radioactive releases surrounding Daiichi NPP since 15 March 2011 (Selected monitoring posts)

Information provided by MEXT-Japan

IAEA

Gamma dose rates North of Daiichi NPP Japan (microSv/h), 15-20 March

IAEA

Gamma dose rates between Tokyo and Daiichi NPP (microSv/h), 15-20 March

IAEA

Gamma dose rates close to Tokyo, (microSv/h), 15-20 March

IAEA

Measurements by the IAEA monitoring team on 20 March 2011

7

Location Distance toNPP(km)

Time, JST(24h)

Dose ratemicro Sv/h

Alpha(counts per 

second)

beta + gamma

(counts per second)

ContaminationBecquerel per 

cm2Mega‐

Becquerel per m2

Mini Stop near Kawamata Hospital 58 10:32 5.7 0 3440 58.5 0.585Nihonmatsu‐Towa‐cho 52 10:55 4.2 0 2368 40.3 0.403Towa‐cho Michino‐eki 49 11:05 3.1 0 1270 21.6 0.216At crossing of Road 349 and Road 50 46 11:30 1.9 0 1973 33.5 0.335Suichuji bus stop 43 11:42 2 0 2260 38.4 0.384JA Tamura 39 11:57 2.6 0 2265 38.5 0.385Border between Kuzuo‐mura and Tamura‐shi

34 12:09 11.7 0 3152 53.6 0.536

Kuzuo village office 29 13:47 11.2 0 4874 82.9 0.829Road 50 28 15:25 7.2 0 5030 85.5 0.855Border between Namie town and Kuzuo village

20 14:55 161 0 overload na naGate of Ogaki‐dam management office 16 14:31 83 0 overload na na

IAEA

Measurements by the IAEA monitoring team on 19 March 2011

Location Time, JST(24h)

Distance from 

Fukushima

Daiichi NPP (km)

Dose rate (micro Sv/h)

Alpha(counts per 

second)

beta + gamma

(counts per second)

Contamination

Becquerel per cm2

Mega‐Becquerel per m2

Saitama Prefecture

Hasuda 17:00 200 0.04 0 27 ‐ -Tochigi  

Prefecture Sano 17:27 180 0.16 0 150 2.5 0.03Kamikochi 18:17 140 0.18 0.2 *) 240 4.1 0.04Nasukogem 20:17 220 2.9 0 2300 39.3 0.39

Fukushimi Prefecture

Abukuma 21:05 60 3.5 0.08*) 3750 64 0.64Gohyakugawa 21:58 56 3 0 3900 66.3 0.66

8

IAEA

Maps with prefectures where foodstuffs were measured

9

IAEA

Ibaraki: Results from measurements of radionuclides in foodstuffs

Name UNITSJST I‐131 Cs‐137 I‐131 Cs‐137 I‐131 Cs‐137 Cs‐134

Kitaibaraki 18‐Mar 24000 690 350 ND ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Kamisu 17‐Mar 56 ND ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Yachiyo 17‐Mar 78 21 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Takahagi 19‐Mar 11,000 586 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Hokota 19‐Mar 1900 71 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Hokota 19‐Mar 480 81 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Hitachi City 18‐Mar 54100 1931 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Hitachi City 18‐Mar 25200 1105 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Hitachi Omiya 18‐Mar 19200 1040 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Hitachi Omiya 18‐Mar 17800 908 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Naka 18‐Mar 16100 911 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Naka 18‐Mar 13500 966 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Hokota 18‐Mar 7710 407 356 9 ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Moriya 18‐Mar 2100 121 590 21 ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Moriya 18‐Mar 26 ND ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Moriya 18‐Mar ND ND ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Koga 18‐Mar 4200 270 ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Sakai 18‐Mar ‐ ‐ 140 ND ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)Sakai 18‐Mar ‐ ‐ 120 ND ‐ ‐ ‐ (Bq/kg)

Sampling Date Spniach & other leafy vegs Spring Onion Milk (unprocessed)