Foundation in Fukushima nuclear plant reactor likely badly damaged-Xinhua

Foundation in Fukushima nuclear plant reactor likely badly damaged

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2023-04-05 09:04:15

This photo taken on March 6, 2023 shows the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant seen from Futabacho, Futabagun of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

TOKYO, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The internal wall of a cylindrical foundation supporting the reactor pressure vessel of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant's No. 1 unit may be badly damaged, its operator said Tuesday.

Videos taken during a survey of the No. 1 unit's containment vessel by operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) showed major damage to the base, raising concerns about its ability to withstand future earthquakes.

The survey, conducted from March 28 through March 31 using an underwater robot, found the concrete wall missing in over half of the pedestal measuring five meters in internal diameter, leaving the reinforcing bar exposed.

TEPCO said the entire circumference of the foundation was highly likely to be damaged, adding that it would further analyze the footage and assess the seismic resistance of the pedestal.

This photo taken on March 6, 2023 shows abandoned houses in Futabacho, Futabagun of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan after the level-7 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant due to a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011. (Xinhua/Zhang Xiaoyu)

Struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast on March 11, 2011, the No. 1, 2 and 3 nuclear reactors at the Fukushima plant suffered core meltdowns, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.

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