Status of quake-stricken reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plants
TOKYO, March 16, Kyodo News
The following is the known status as of Tuesday evening of each of the six reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and the four reactors at the Fukushima No. 2 plant, both in Fukushima Prefecture, crippled by Friday’s magnitude 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami.
Fukushima No. 1
— Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core, vapor vented, hydrogen explosion, seawater pumped in.
— Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, seawater pumped in, fuel rods fully exposed temporarily, vapor vented, damage to containment system, potential meltdown feared.
— Reactor No. 3 - Cooling failure, partial melting of core feared, vapor vented, seawater pumped in, hydrogen explosion, high-level radiation measured nearby.
— Reactor No. 4 - Under maintenance when quake struck, fire caused possibly by hydrogen explosion at pool holding spent fuel rods, pool water level feared receding.
— Reactor No. 5 - Under maintenance when quake struck, temperature slightly rising at spent fuel pool.
— Reactor No. 6 - Under maintenance when quake struck, temperature slightly rising at spent fuel pool.
Fukushima No. 2
— Reactor No. 1 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.
— Reactor No. 2 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.
— Reactor No. 3 - Cold shutdown.
— Reactor No. 4 - Cooling failure, then cold shutdown.
==Kyodo
Toshiba sends engineers to Fukushima nuclear power plant
TOKYO, March 16, Kyodo
Toshiba Corp. said Tuesday it has sent engineers to the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant at the request of the government and Tokyo Electric Power Co., aiming to address the problems at the quake-hit facility amid growing fears of radioactive contamination.
The company said dozens of its engineers are set to instruct workers at the plant operated by TEPCO about the usage of pumps to inject water into the plant’s reactors, adding the firm has already sent motors to activate the pumps at the facility.
Toshiba, which supplied much of the equipment for the Fukushima No. 1 power plant’s reactors such as the No. 3 reactor, will consider sending more engineers if necessary, it added.
While Toshiba has around 350 engineers who support electric power companies, two-thirds of them are currently dealing with accidents at the Fukushima nuclear power plant at Toshiba’s headquarters or at the actual site.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Naoto Kan instructed Toshiba President Norio Sasaki to do all he can to contain the problems at the plant.
Hitachi Ltd., which was in charge of constructing the No. 4 reactor at the No. 1 plant, has also sent more than 10 engineers to the central office of TEPCO to respond to technical questions.