Tepco says 4 tons of contaminated water leaked from FukushimaOctober 1, 2013 - 11:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The operator of Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant said on Tuesday, Oct 1, that four tons of rainwater contaminated with low levels of radiation leaked during an operation to transfer the water between tank holding areas, Reuters reported. Tokyo Electric Power Co, or Tepco, has been trying to contain contaminated water at the Fukushima site after it found 300 tonnes of radioactive water had leaked from a tank at the plant. Fukushima suffered triple nuclear meltdowns and hydrogen explosions after a March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Heavy rain during a recent typhoon flooded one of the tank holding areas where Tepco stores excess water flushed over damaged reactors to keep them cool, a spokesman said. After tests last month showed the rainwater contained 160 becquerels per liter of radiation, a relatively low level, Tepco officials decided to transfer the water to another holding area for tanks, he said. During the transfer a worker found the leak, which the company estimated to be 4 tons and was absorbed into the ground, the spokesman said. The company faces the prospect of more heavy rain in the next few days as another storm approaches Japan from the south. Tropical Depression Sepat is forecast to gain strength overnight and arrive in the vicinity of Fukushima by 1200 GMT on Wednesday, the U.S. Navy Joint Typhoon Warning Centre said. Tepco has been pumping hundreds of tons of water a day over the Fukushima reactors to keep them cool and storing the radioactive wastewater in tanks above ground. In August, the utility said at least one of those hastily built tanks was leaking. It has also found high levels of radiation just above the ground near other tanks, suggesting widespread structural problems with the tanks. Tepco's stock, which was up in the morning, fell after the utility announced the latest problem with water storage, closing down 4.1 percent. Earlier on Tuesday, Tepco said one of three units for injecting nitrogen into the damaged reactors shut down due to a worker mishandling the equipment, but was restarted later. Tepco injects nitrogen into the reactors to prevent explosions similar to those that rocked the site in the early days of the disaster. Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Power of One Dram sums up two-year program with Teach for Armenia Idram Junior also joined the companies during the visit, bringing with it a fascinating intellectual game for children Moscow slams EU mission in Armenia for “provocative activity” The EU mission is doing more and more against Armenia’s neighbors Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, Mikhail Galuzin said. Yerevan Mayor to travel to Paris on May 15-19 The official delegation headed by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan will travel to Paris from May 15 to 19. Armenia, India hold first defense consultations The meeting was attended by Indian Ambassador Nilakshi Saha Sinha and Defense Attaché Brigadier General Naveen Nijhawan. |