PanOrient News | American Nuclear Experts Arrive in Japan, IAEA to Send Environment Observers

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American Nuclear Experts Arrive in Japan, IAEA to Send Environment Observers

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Tokyo - (PanOrient News) Eight experts of The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) are scheduled to arrive in Japan on Wednesday, March 16, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

These experts will provide technical advice on managing the situation in Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The government of Japan will cooperate closely with these experts as it makes its utmost effort to solve the problems in Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant according to the statement.

Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said the IAEA plans to send a team of experts to Japan at the earliest possible date. The team will include experts for environmental monitoring, Amano told a press conference at its head office in Vienna.

On Wednesday, a fire broke out again at the troubled No. 4 reactor of the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, in Fukushima Prefecture, northern Japan, that is suffering trouble in its spent nuclear fuel rod pool, and posing the risk of leaks of high-level radioactive materials.

The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) said flames were no longer visible after about 30 minutes. With water likely evaporating in the pool, concerns are growing that the spent fuel rods will be exposed and damaged.

The company said it is considering spraying boric acid by helicopter to prevent the reactor's spent nuclear fuel rods from reaching criticality again, restarting a chain reaction. Other sources said the plans to pour water into the pool, possibly requesting cooperation of the Self-Defense Forces or the U.S. forces so that it can use helicopters for the work.

On Tuesday, the utility said water in a pool storing the spent fuel rods may be boiling and that its level may have dropped, exposing the rods. The government ordered the firm to inject water into the pool ''as soon as possible to avert a major nuclear disaster.''
Due to high radiation levels at the reactor, workers have been unable to pour water into the troubled pool. Difficult conditions have led the utility to evacuate around 730 of the 800 workers from the site, according to TEPCO.
''The possibility of recriticality is not zero,'' TEPCO said Wednesday as it announced the envisaged step to control the situation.
Unless the spent fuel rods are cooled down, they could suffer damage and emit radioactive substances.

Photo: The troubled No. 4 reactor building of the quake-hit Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant where fires were reported on Tuesday and Wednesday.
It shows that a large portion of the building's outer wall has collapsed. The company produced the photo at a news conference on Wednesday.
The photo, released by Tokyo Electric Power Company, shot the day before from the northwestern side of the reactor, shows that a large portion of the building's outer wall has collapsed. There is an 8-meter hole on the 4th floor, and the interior is visible.

PanOrient News