Problem at Number 4

Reactor no4

March 26, 2014

Trouble stops fuel removal at nuclear plant

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140326_33.html

Work has been suspended to remove spent nuclear fuel from a storage pool at a reactor building in the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Tokyo Electric Power Company said an accident occurred at around 9:30 AM on Wednesday when workers started removing fuel units at the No. 4 reactor building.

The utility explained a large crane used to hoist a cask containing 22 spent fuel units from the storage pool suddenly halted before lifting the cask. Workers were attaching a hook to the crane's wire at that time.

The company says no rise in radiation levels have been observed around the pool.

Workers are now trying to find out what caused the problem.

TEPCO began removing fuel units from the storage pool of the No.4 reactor in November of last year. The pool held 1,533 units of fuel, of which 1,331 are highly radioactive spent fuel.

As of Tuesday, 550 fuel units had been removed and transferred to another storage pool.

Mar. 26, 2014 - Updated 10:26 UTC

Trouble stops fuel removal at Fukushima plant

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20140326_22.html

The work to remove nuclear fuel from a storage pool at a reactor building in the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has been suspended due to a problematic crane.

Tokyo Electric Power Company said the issue occurred at around 9:30 AM on Wednesday, when workers started removing fuel units at the No.4 reactor building. The utility explained a large crane used to hoist a cask containing fuel units set off an alarm and stopped.

TEPCO added that the crane stopped before lifting the cask, and that no rise in radiation levels has been observed around the storage pool.

Workers are now trying to find out what caused the problem.
TEPCO began removing fuel units from the storage pool of the No.4 reactor in November of last year. The pool holds 1,533 units of fuel, of which 1,331 are highly radioactive spent fuel.

As of Tuesday, 550 fuel units had been removed and transferred to another storage pool.

Mar. 26, 2014 - Updated 05:18 UTC