30 Aug (NucNet): Workers entered the reactor containment building of unit 4 at Japan’s Fukushima-Daini nuclear plant yesterday for the first time since it was hit by the March earthquake and tsunami.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) said it sent workers into the building to check for possible damage and to measure radiation and temperature levels.
All four boiling water reactor units at Fukushima-Daini, to the south of the Fukushima-Daiichi plant, automatically shut down as a result of the 11 March earthquake and achieved cold shut-down status on 15 March.
Tepco said the tsunami that followed the earthquake partially damaged equipment used to provide seawater as coolant at unit 4 and two other Fukushima-Daini units. However, the company said yesterday that unit 4 had been stable since cold shut-down was achieved using an external power supply.
The airlock for workers to enter the primary containment vessel at unit 4 was opened at 10:15hr local time yesterday. Tepco said it was now planning to repeat the inspection operation in the containment buildings of the plant’s other units.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
Authorities Order Evacuation Around Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Plant (News in Brief No. 52, 11 March 2011)
Tepco Confirms Seismic Data For All Fukushima Units (News in Brief No. 121, 18 May 2011)
