Power was fully restored Tuesday at two of the six reactors of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, showing continued progress in rehabilitating the earthquake-damaged facility.
Power was fully restored Tuesday at two of the six reactors of Japan's
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, showing continued progress in
rehabilitating the earthquake-damaged facility.
Steady power supply means the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (9501.TO),
can cool in a more consistent manner the reactors and storage pools holding
spent nuclear fuel.
Since the plant was hit by a massive earthquake and a tsunami Mar. 11, it
relied on such desperate measures as hosing by firefighters and flooding with
seawater for cooling the reactor and the fuel storage pool.
According to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, power was fully restored
at reactors 5 and 6, the two least damaged by the tsunami. In addition,
reactors 2 and 4 are also hooked up to the grid and are undergoing a final check-up
before receiving electricity.
The biggest challenge is rehabilitating reactor 3, which was extensively
damaged by a massive explosion Mar. 14.
Following the explosion, the Self-Defence Forces,
Japan
's
military, dropped water on the reactor using helicopters, while firefighters
continued their hosing operation. However, smoke kept rising intermittently
from the reactor building, indicating the reactor's precarious condition.
The reactor No. 3 is expected to be connected to a power grid within a couple
of days, but officials of the nuclear safety agency believe that many parts of
the cooling system will need replacing, meaning there will be a further delay
in bringing the reactor under control.
Also, the fuel rods inside the reactor are believed to be damaged, thus the
level of radiation near the facility will remain stable but elevated.
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