Water Levels at Fukushima Reactor Containers Falling
Tokyo, Feb. 19 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. <9501> said Friday that the water levels in the containment vessels for the No. 1 and No. 3 reactors at its disaster-crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant have fallen by tens of centimeters.
The water levels continue falling by several centimeters a day, according to TEPCO.
The event has no radiation impact outside of the plant's premises, the company said, noting that water injection into the reactors and operations to cool melted nuclear fuel debris at the bottom of the containment vessels are continuing.
The plant in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan, was heavily damaged by the March 2011 powerful earthquake and tsunami.
On Saturday last week, an earthquake hit northeastern regions, measuring upper 6, the second-highest level on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, in some areas in Fukushima. Existing damage to piping and other parts of the containment vessels may have expanded as a result of the temblor, TEPCO officials said.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]