Nuclear Meltdown

Power reconnected, situation easing in Japan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-03-23 14:42

TOKYO - Power has been reconnected to all the six reactors at Japan's troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and the lighting in the control room for the No. 3 reactor was restored on Tuesday, making it possible for more intensive work to restore the reactors' key cooling functions.

Efforts to spray water into the No. 4 reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant are seen in this March 22, 2011 handout photograph. [Photo/Agencies]

Situation easing 

The No. 3 reactor was the last among six reactors to be connected to an external power supply, following the No. 4 reactor, which was connected in the morning.

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The reactors being set to receive power from independent sources is a critical first step towards the reactors' cooling systems working autonomously, according to the plant's operator known as TEPCO.

Efforts to cool down spent fuel pools also resumed Tuesday afternoon and firefighters sprayed tons of water onto the spent nuclear fuel pool at the No. 3 reactor.

The spokesman of the government's nuclear safety agency, Hidehiko Nishiyama, told a  press conference in the afternoon that it is unlikely that the situation would worsen and develop into a critical "meltdown."

The Tokyo Electric has been battling to get the six reactors at the plant back online following the March 11 magnitude 9.0 mega quake and tsunami that knocked out the plant's critical cooling systems and led to partial meltdowns of some of the reactors' cores.  

The nuclear crisis in Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant "is the first time a nuclear crisis was triggered by an earthquake," according to L.S. Chan, professor of science of Hong Kong University.

Food contamination

In the meantime, the public is concerned over radiation contamination of food and water. The Japanese government has already ordered a ban on spinach, canola and raw milk from the prefectures around Fukushima.

Seawater off the nuclear plant is showing elevated levels of radioactive iodine and cesium.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan promised on Tuesday that he will ensure maximum transparency in providing information about the state of the unfolding nuclear crisis triggered by the 9.0 earthquake.

The quake and tsunami has left nearly 9,100 dead and almost 13, 800 missing, Japan's National Police Agency said on Tuesday.

The death toll reached 9,099 in 12 prefectures, while the number of missing came to 13,786 in six prefectures as of 9 p.m., according to the agency.  

Japan sees quake damage around $310 bln

The Japanese government on Wednesday estimated the direct damage from a deadly earthquake and tsunami that struck the country's northeast this month at 16-25 trillion yen ($185-308 billion), making it the world's costliest natural disaster.

It said the estimate covered damage to roads, homes, factories and other infrastructure and eclipses the $100 billion loss tally after the 1995 Kobe quake, until now the highest.

The figure does not include losses in economic activity from planned power outages or the broader impact of a crisis at a stricken nuclear power plant in Fukushima, where work crews are still struggling to prevent further radiation leaks.  

"The impact from the planned power outages is likely to be significant," Fumihira Nishizaki, director of macroeconomic analysis at the Cabinet Office told reporters.

The upper end of the estimate range would amount to about 6 percent of Japan's gross domestic product.

"This quake will cause the condition of Japan's economy and output to be severe," Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa told a parliamentary committee.