Leak at Fukushima No. 1

TEPCO unable to locate source of leak in Fukushima reactor

Asahi Shimbun,

12 December, 2012

The operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant is grappling to locate the source of a leak of highly radioactive water in the crippled No. 2 reactor, and will continue trying to pinpoint the cause next week.

A remote-controlled robot is now scouring the basement of the reactor building that houses the pressure suppression chamber to pinpoint the cause of the leak.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said it was unable to identify the source of the leak when the robot inspected one of the eight vent pipes that connect the chamber with the containment vessel on Dec. 11.

TEPCO suspects the radioactive water is leaking from fractures near the pressure suppression chamber.

It was the first detailed inspection near the chamber.

Nuclear fuel in the No. 2 reactor melted following the earthquake and tsunami disaster last year.

A huge volume of highly radioactive water, used to cool down the fuel, has since been leaking from the reactor, TEPCO said.

Tsuruga nuclear plant may have to be decommissioned as active fault found

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN AND WIRE REPORTS

Asahi Shimbun,

2012/12/12

Japan Atomic Power Co. may have to decommission one of its reactors after seismologists concluded the plant is sitting over an active fault line, potentially the first permanent shutdown of a nuclear unit in Japan since the Fukushima disaster last year