Friday, December 16, 2011 State of Cold Shutdown: Hosono Says "No One Knows Where the Fuel Is, But I'm Confident It is Cooled"

http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/12/state-of-cold-shutdown-hosono-says-no.html

Friday, December 16, 2011

State of Cold Shutdown: Hosono Says "No One Knows Where the Fuel Is, But I'm Confident It is Cooled"

In a typical display of utter disregard for the general public, the Noda administration announced last night that there would be no more joint press conference where reporters could meet with TEPCO people and the government officials from the Cabinet Office and other relevant ministries and agencies, receive updates and ask questions.

The last night's joint press conference is to be the last one, now that Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant is officially in a "state of a cold shutdown" and the accident has been decreed by the government to be "over".

Here's what Minister in charge of the accident and Minister of the Environment Goshi Hosono had to say last night in the last joint press conference, as reported by Nifty News (12/16/2011):

...細野環境相は「どこに燃料があるのか、原子炉をあけてみなければ誰もわからない」と不安な部分ものぞかせたものの　野田首相に続いて、冷温停止という認識を再確認。「燃料の場所がどこにあるにしても、冷却されているという状態」と述べた。

Minister of the Environment Hosono expressed some concern that "No one knows where the fuel is until we open the reactors", but he reaffirmed the cold shutdown, following the lead of his prime minister. He said, "No matter where the fuel is, it is being cooled".

Trust us, take our word for it, he says.