Japan all out to cool Fukushima plants

2011-03-18 05:12:42 - Nksagar-Sagar Media Inc:Japan to take all out efforts to cool Fukushima plants: Japan to cool Fukushima plants today making its all efforts desperately to douse overheating spent fuel rods at its quake crippled reactors in the Fukushima plant,dumping tonnes of water using helicopters and water cannon trucks amid growing concerns of a nuclear disaster.

NHK reports in its Online News today said Tokyo Electric Power Company hopes to activate the cooling system of the No.2 reactor at its Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as early as Friday night after restoring power to the system.3 reactors at the plant lost cooling capabilities due to a power outage and the failure of emergency power generators after
last week's earthquake and tsunami.The company laid a new power line to the plant on Thursday, but has yet to connect it to the No.2 reactor due to efforts to douse it with water. The utility plans to link the cable to the reactor on Friday.

The firm says the reactor seems to have suffered less damage to its electrical equipment than the other reactors at the plant.However, the company says connecting the cables could be hampered by the radiation threat to workers who will have to approach the reactor.Tokyo Electric says that if it can send electricity to the cooling systems of the 3 reactors, it will be able to resolve the problems at each of the reactors. The utility says it wants to restore power to the reactors as soon as possible.

US nuclear expert warned that a "potentially catastrophic situation" could be round the corner."There is no water in the spent fuel pool and we believe that radiation levels are extremely high, which could possibly impact the ability to take corrective measures," the chief of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Gregory Jaczko said as the ominous nuclear cloud spread alarm in the US and other countries.Two CH-47 helicopters of the Self-Defense Force (SDF) scooped up sea water and released it over the reactors after another chopper checked radiation levels in the air, a week after the magnitude-9.About 5,000 Indians,of a 25,000 total strong community based in Japan,have already left that country in the aftermath of tsunami caused by a massive earthquake last week.