
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
1.1 General
The Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant, also known as Fukushima Dai-
ichi (Dai-ichi means “number one”) is a disabled nuclear power plant
located on a 3.5 square km (860 acres) site in the towns of Okuma and
Futaba in the Futaba district of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan (Wikipedia
2011b; Figure 1.1). First commissioned in 1971, the plant consists of
six boiling water reactors. These light-water reactors drove electric
generators with a combined power of 4.7 GWe (4.7 billion electrical
watts), making the Fukushima facility the 15th largest nuclear power
complex in the world and the fi rst to be constructed and run entir ...