por admin » Mar Mar 22, 2011 8:21 am
Los seis reactores estan conectados a la electricidad.
Troubled Nuclear Plant Reconnected to Grid
By MITSURU OBE And HIROYUKI KACHI
TOKYO—Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Tuesday that external power has been reconnected to all of six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, in modest gains by Japanese authorities to contain a crisis at a heavily damaged facilities that has become a matter of international concern.
An official at the utility, known as Tepco, said the next challenge is to check whether cooling systems including pumps and other equipment at each reactor will work properly. He said lighting at central control rooms of the No. 3 and No. 4 reactors will be back again soon.
He said the utility has already confirmed the pumps inside the No. 5 and No. 6 reactors can go ahead with cooling process there.
Tepco, government officials, members of Japan's Self-Defense forces and others have been battling to keep radioactive material in reactors and nearby pools holding spent fuel rods from overheating. If power is restored, these facilities could be cooled more effectively.
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.Meanwhile, the agency said that smoke from reactor No. 3 seems to have stopped, but that a small plume of what appears to be steam is still rising from reactor No. 2.
Also Tuesday, the Japan Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said it detected higher-than-permitted levels of radioactive materials in seawater near the complex, raising the possibility that contamination from the plant could spread to marine life.
The agency said there is no immediate health risk to humans, as the area around the plant had already been evacuated.
NISA said that sampling conducted in waters about 330 meters south of the plant showed the amount of iodine-131 exceeded the allowable limit by more than 29.8 times, compared with 126.7 times on Monday afternoon..
NISA said it has alerted the agriculture ministry about possible ramifications for the seafood industry.
Many steps remain before the company can turn on the all-important cooling systems at the other reactors and declare full control over the plant damaged after the March 11 earthquake.
"We aren't out of the crisis situation yet, but we are seeing a light at the end," said Prime Minister Naoto Kan on Monday.
Overall, officials expressed confidence that Japan was on the right track in putting a lid on the nuclear disaster triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that left more than 21,000 people dead or missing.
The tsunami knocked out regular backup power systems at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which rendered the plant's cooling systems unusable. Fuel rods in use as well as spent rods in cooling pools began to heat up, triggering fires and explosions.
It took several days for the government to take effective control of the disaster, meaning that the full power of Japan's military and big-city fire departments wasn't engaged in the fight until a week after the quake.