Japan to Suspend Operations at Nuclear Plant After Suspected Leakage

Japan to Suspend Operations at Nuclear Plant After Suspected Leakage

Dec 17 - BBC Monitoring Asia Pacific

Tokyo Electric Power Co said Friday [17 December] it will suspend the operations of the only running reactor at the six-reactor Fukushima No 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture, possibly from Monday, to investigate a likely radioactive water leakage. The utility said it will take necessary steps on Sunday and stop the No 6 reactor.

Five of the plant's six reactors have already been put out of operation due to defects and regular inspections. The suspension of operations of the last reactor is feared to significantly influence power supplies in its service areas, although the company said it will have other power plants cover the loss while expecting the peak of electric power demand for this winter to come in January and February.

The electric power firm suspects a water leakage near a valve attached to a pipe inside the reactor containment vessel. Up to about 750 litres of water have been draining away every hour and the amount has been gradually increasing, but there is no radiation leak outside of the plant and little immediate impact on the safety operations of the reactor, it said.

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