nuclear-news

Radioactive water spills over after quakes hit Japan

By JIANG XUEQING in Tokyo | China Daily 3 Jan 24

Radioactive water from the fuel pools of two reactors at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Japan’s Niigata prefecture spilled over after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake and multiple aftershocks rocked the country on New Year’s Day.

However, Tokyo Electric Power Company, which owns and operates the plant, said the reactors were offline before the quake hit and no abnormalities in operation had been detected……………………………………………………………………………………………

TEPCO said that about 10 liters of water containing radioactive materials spilled from the fuel pool of the No 2 reactor and about 4 liters from the fuel pool of the No 7 reactor at around 6:45 pm on Monday.

After the 2011 earthquake triggered a triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, Japan introduced a maximum operating life of 60 years for its nuclear reactors. However, the limit was scrapped in May as the nation shifted its policy to promote nuclear energy, aiming for an early restart of nuclear power plants, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported.  https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202401/03/WS65949a3ba3105f21a507a34e.html

January 4, 2024 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | incidents, Japan