Japan Earthquake Rocks Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant Sparking Leak Into The Sea.
JAPAN was rocked rocked by an earthquake today, Saturday. It has been reported that this has now led to a serious nuclear fuel spill at Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power plant. Fears have been sparked that the nuclear power plant may have been damaged by the powerful earthquake even though it was sealed off and concreted over after the last disaster.
Nearly a thousand storage tanks are scattered across the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, holding a staggering 1.1 million tons of treated water used to keep its melted reactor cores cool while they rust in the sun.
According to local media in Japan, NHK, there has been a leak of nuclear fuel at the plant which is in the Fukushima Prefecture. Pool water used for storing spent nuclear fuel may have escaped and contaminated the surrounding area.
The company that runs and owns the plant, TEPCO said: “A patrol found that about 160 ml of pool water for storing spent nuclear fuel at Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 in preparation for decommissioning in Fukushima Prefecture had leaked into a ditch next to the pool. It seems that it overflowed due to the shaking of the earthquake, but according to the Nuclear Regulatory Agency, the amount is small, so there is no effect on the cooling of nuclear fuel, and the radiation dose is low, so as yet there is no concern about exposure to workers.”
The magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Saturday off the coast of Japan’s Fukushima prefecture, which was home to one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters almost a decade ago.
The Japan Meteorological Agency said the quake — which it initially said had a magnitude of 7.1 — struck at 11:08 p.m. local time (9:08 a.m. ET) at a depth of 34 miles. Fourteen aftershocks were recorded, it said, adding that a tsunami warning had not been issued. The quake was also felt in Japan’s capital, Tokyo.
