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Japan's Quake-Hit Nuke Plant Says Nothing To Hide
Tokyo (AFP) July 25, 2007 The operator of Japan's largest nuclear plant, which was damaged in a powerful earthquake, said Wednesday it had nothing to hide as UN inspectors prepared to visit. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team is set to arrive in Japan in the next few weeks to look at the sprawling Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant operated by Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO). Asked to promise the company would not hide anything, TEPCO vice president Ichiro Takekuro said: "If we did, we would lose the value of our company. It would be a tremendous bill to pay in the future." He dismissed a suggestion the firm would hurry up repairs of the plant to hide the true extent of the damage from the UN nuclear watchdog. "We will be conducting a detailed investigation into the current situation or just be preparing for that" when the IAEA team arrives, Takekuro told reporters. "We will not be in the midst of doing any repair work," he said. The pledge came amid reports that the plant would remain shut for a year, and even longer if major safety problems were detected. "At least one year is needed for operations to resume," Haruki Madarame, an expert in nuclear engineering, was quoted by Kyodo news agency saying late Wednesday. Madarame, a professor at the University of Tokyo, is set to be officially appointed head of a government-backed team to investigate the extent of damage at the plant and other nuclear facilities by last week's quake, Kyodo said. Japan said it invited the IAEA in hopes of easing international concern after the 6.8-magnitude earthquake caused a radiation leak on July 16. The earthquake struck off the coast near the plant, killing 11 people and destroying hundreds of homes. TEPCO said the quake automatically shut down the plant's reactors but triggered 63 problems, including a fire that lasted for hours and a radiation leak into the sea. The company said the radiation amount was far too small to pose a health hazard but has come under criticism for taking hours to report it and then understating the level.
Source: Agence France-Presse Related Links Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
IAEA To Visit Japanese Quake-Hit Nuclear Plant, As Car Production Plummets
Vienna (AFP) July 24, 2007The UN's nuclear watchdog agency said Tuesday it would send a team of experts to Japan in the next few weeks to examine a nuclear power plant damaged during a deadly earthquake on July 16. "The IAEA intends to send a team of IAEA and international experts in the coming weeks" to examine the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant northwest of Tokyo, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement. |
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