NUCLEAR AUTHORITIES IN JAPAN are still working to restore energy supplies to the Fukushima nuclear power plant’s pumps to help cool the overheating reactors.
The crews have seen some success, according to Deutsche Welle, which reports that electricity has been reconnected to Reactors 1 and 2 today.
Importantly, pressure in the most dangerous reactor at the plant – Reactor 3 – appears to have stabilised today after crews doused the reactor for 13 hours to keep the fuel pool covered.
Reactor 3 is the only one of the plant’s six reactors to use highly toxic plutonium and authorities want to limit the release of radioactive gas from the reactor as a means of easing pressure inside the unit.
Military crews have been spraying water from tanks and trucks onto Reactor 4, which was damaged by two fires last week.
Japan’s government said earlier today that the plant would have to close down as a result of the damage.
Authorities have been pouring a seawater and boron mix into the reactors as an emergency measure to help cool the reactors since the pumps stopped working, but using such a corrosive mix means those reactors cannot be used to generate energy again.
Although some radiation contamination was found in milk and spinach produced near Fukushima, authorities say those foods have not entered the market and are not toxic even if eaten for several days. No contamination has been reported in Japan’s main food export, seafood.
- Includes reporting from the AP
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