TOKYO —
The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant said Tuesday it is struggling with its latest efforts to stop contaminated underground water leaks from running into the sea.
Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said that some of the water was seeping over or around a “liquid glass wall” it has created by injecting chemicals into the soil that solidify into a wall.
The latest problem involves underground water which has built up over the last month since the company began creating the chemical walls to stop leaks after it detected radiation spikes in water samples in May.
TEPCO spokesman Yoshikazu Nagai said the company was slow to deal with the underground water leaks because it was focusing on cooling the damaged reactors, which posed greater risks.
Three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered meltdowns after a massive March 2011 earthquake and tsunami destroyed power and cooling systems. The plant is still running on makeshift equipment and has been plagued with blackouts and leaks from underground tanks.
The amount of contaminated water at the plant increases by 400 tons a day. TEPCO plans to secure storage facilities capable of holding 800,000 tons more water by 2015.
“For the next two to three years, I think water management would be their biggest challenge,” said Dale Klein, a former U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission chairman who now oversees TEPCO’s reform committee. “But there will be more surprises,” he said, citing possible power outages, leaks and other “unknowns.”
Japan Today
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