A terrifying incident has emerged from Japan’s wrecked Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant. Around 25 tons of radioactive water leak has been reported from the plant’s Reactor Unit-2.
The plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) discovered the leak on August 9. However, the company maintained that water didn’t get into the environment as it flowed into the basement, according to reports.
Before that, an abnormal decrease in the water level was noticed in one of the water control tanks in the nuclear fuel cooling pool.
A robot was launched into the building , and it turned out that the water that had leaked from the tank had run into the basement, reported UNN .
Water leaked via sewage systems
The inspection confirmed that the water leaked via sewage systems and there was no outside leak , as per TEPCO.
The company has now suspended pumping water into the cooling pond.
They claim that the incident will not cause the fuel to heat up beyond the threshold of 65 degrees Centigrade.
A robot will conduct detailed examination
TEPCO claims that a robot will be used for a more detailed examination of Unit 2.
Earlier in February, TEPCO detected a radioactive water leak at Fukushima Daiichi.
The leakage volume was about 5.5 tons and the area was approximately 4 by 4 meters. The company started discharging water from the plant into the ocean for August 2023.
TEPCO earlier claimed equipment malfunction
Previously, TEPCO announced on August 9 that equipment related to the spent fuel pool of Reactor Unit 2 had malfunctioned. As a precautionary measure, the cooling system for the spent fuel pool was subsequently halted while investigations into the cause of the malfunction commenced, reported CGTN .
On 11 March 2011, the Fukushima-Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) suffered major damage after the magnitude 9.0 great east-Japan earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
The combined impact and repercussions of the earthquake and tsunami caused great loss of life and widespread devastation in north-eastern Japan.
Largest civilian nuclear accident since the Chernobyl
This was followed by an accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, categorized as a Level 7 — Major Accident — on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.
In the initial days following the accident, the IAEA established teams to evaluate key nuclear safety elements and assess radiological levels.
It was the largest civilian nuclear accident since the Chernobyl accident in 1986. Radioactive material was released from the damaged plant and tens of thousands of people were evacuated.
The United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) assessed the levels and effects of exposure to ionizing radiation.
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