The operator of the destroyed nuclear power plant in Fukushima says the cool water levels have dropped in two of its reactors since a powerful earthquake hit the area this past weekend, indicating possible additional damage.
TOKYO – Cooling water levels have dropped in two reactors at the devastated nuclear power plant in Fukushima since a powerful earthquake struck the area last weekend, indicating possible additional damage, its operator said on Friday.
New damage could further complicate the already difficult dismantling process of the plant, which is expected to take decades.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Keisuke Matsuo said the drop in water levels in unit 1 and 3 reactors indicated that the existing damage to their primary containment chambers was exacerbated by Saturday’s magnitude 7.3 earthquake, which leaked more water.
The water that leaked presumably remained inside the reactor buildings and there is no sign of any impact on the outside, he said.
In 2011, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1 and tsunami damaged the cooling systems of the Fukushima plant, causing three reactor cores to melt and nuclear fuel to fall to the bottom of their primary containers.
TEPCO will keep the water and temperature at the bottom of the barrels, Matsuo said.
Since the disaster in 2011, the cooling water has been continuously escaping from the damaged primary barrels in the basement of the reactor buildings. To compensate for the loss, additional cooling water was pumped into the reactors to cool the molten fuel contained therein. The recent drop in water levels indicates that more water is leaking than before, says TEPCO.
According to the fire and disaster management agency, more than 180 people sustained mostly minor injuries due to Saturday’s earthquake. The quake also caused landslides, damaged homes and caused a high-speed line, and caused widespread power and water disruptions.
TEPCO initially reported that there had been no abnormality at the plant since Saturday’s earthquake.
Matsuo said the cooling water level dropped to 70 centimeters (27 inches) in the primary containment chamber of the unit 1 reactor and about 30 centimeters (11 inches) in unit 3. TEPCO could not determine any decrease in unit 2. because indicators have been taken out to prepare for the removal of molten debris, he said.
Increased leakage may require more cooling water to be pumped into the reactors, which will result in more contaminated water being treated and stored in large tanks at the plant. TEPCO says its storage capacity of 1.37 million tons will be full next summer. The recommendation of a government panel that it should be gradually released into the sea has been confronted among local residents’ opposition and a decision is not yet available.
Meanwhile, the Tokyo High Court on Friday held the government as well as TEPCO responsible for the 2011 nuclear disaster, ordering them to pay about 280 million yen ($ 2.6 million) in compensation to more than 40 claimants forced to go to Chiba , near Tokyo, to evacuate. for their lost livelihoods and homes.
Friday’s ruling reverses an earlier ruling by the Chiba District Court to exclude the government from responsibility. Judge Yukio Shirai said the government could foresee the risk of a massive tsunami and take action after a long-term evaluation of seismic activity in 2002.
Lawyers representing the plaintiffs welcomed the decision, saying it would affect other pending cases.
“The case raises the question of whether we should tolerate a society that prioritizes economic activities over people’s lives and health,” said Izutaro Mangi, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs.