NYT - Japanese Government Says Decommissioning Fukushima Reactors Will Take 40 Years

[kristopher]

5. TEPCO appears to be on track to be nationalized

Obstacles loom for TEPCO 'nationalization' plan
December 22, 2011

A government plan to bring Tokyo Electric Power Co. under state control to secure decommissioning costs for the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant faces opposition from the utility among many other hurdles.

Under the plan being discussed within the government, the government-backed Nuclear Damage Liability Facilitation Fund would invest about 1 trillion yen ($12.87 billion) in TEPCO to secure more than two-thirds of its shares.

The investment is designed to ensure that TEPCO will have access to sufficient funds for decommissioning the Fukushima No. 1 plant.

A government third-party committee estimates that about 1.15 trillion yen will be required to decommission the No. 1 to No. 4 reactors damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake. The No. 5 and No. 6 reactors may have to be decommissioned.

“It is difficult...
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ201112220050

All of this is, of course, separate from all other costs associated with the meltdowns. I can't imagine we will ever be able to quantify the full costs; for example what method could be used to assess the cost of impaired response to the tsunami and rebuilding efforts? A specific example of that would be corporations have fled the area; not because of the natural parts of the disaster but because of the long term nuclear problems.