Last week, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management leaders traveled to Japan to attend the two-day 8th International Forum on the Decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station to engage with nuclear cleanup experts from Japan, the U.S., U.K. and other countries.
Office of Environmental Management
September 3, 2024
minute read time
JAPAN – Last week, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) leaders traveled to Japan to attend the two-day 8th International Forum on the Decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS) to engage with nuclear cleanup experts from Japan, the U.S., U.K. and other countries. The forum, hosted by the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation (NDF), included over 600 attendees and provides an opportunity for the international community to learn about the latest progress of the Fukushima Daiichi NPS cleanup, and for the U.S. and other countries to share technical and communication best practices and lessons learned during decommissioning and remediation of nuclear legacy sites.
This year, leaders from DOE’s Office of Legacy Management (LM) joined EM at the forum, expanding the U.S. perspective to span from cleanup to long-term surveillance and monitoring.
“Collaboration between our countries helps us navigate remaining cleanup challenges, including all aspects of decommissioning nuclear facilities,” EM Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jeff Avery said. “It helps us achieve our respective missions by enabling the sharing of best practices, allowing greater leverage of science resources and providing opportunities to innovate.”
U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Jeff Avery, right, thanks Denda Yasutaka, corporate office and general manager, D&D Strategy Office, Fukushima Daiichi Decontamination and Decommissioning Engineering Company, TEPCO Holdings Inc., for the tour of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station cleanup efforts.
The first day featured a panel with Japanese and international government and industry leaders, and local community members engaging in a discussion focused on the Fukushima Daiichi NPS decommissioning and the future of the local community. The objective of the discussion was to provide the local community with information and space for a robust dialogue, sharing ideas, hopes and visions for the future.
The program for the second day gave technical experts the opportunity to discuss ongoing progress and the upcoming full-fledged debris retrieval process at the Fukushima Daiichi NPS, as well as stakeholder engagement lessons learned and best practices.
“Building these relationships with international partners, as well as our regulators, stakeholders and local communities is a priority for EM as we carry out our mission in the U.S,” said Avery. “Over the past 35 years of EM’s operations, we’ve built a wealth of knowledge through lessons learned, scientific advancement, and facility operations that provide valuable insights to our international partners, just as their experiences provide the same for us.”
EM and Japanese officials have been working together to address the Fukushima cleanup for more than a decade. EM has held technical workshops, hosted Japan government officials and their technical organizations to DOE sites, and supported key stakeholder engagement events, like this year’s forum.
Avery commended the NDF officials for their progress and ongoing initiatives to build transparency and collaboration with local and international stakeholders.
In addition to the forum, leaders toured the Fukushima Daiichi cleanup site and Rokkasho, where Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited operates several nuclear facilities like those within EM’s portfolio, and met with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
To receive the latest news and updates about the Office of Environmental Management, submit your e-mail address.