Tepco conducts final tests on Japanese water treatment system

[News_Editor]

Tepco conducts final tests on Japanese water treatment system

2011-06-17 01:55:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- The Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) on Thursday announced that it is in its final phase of conducting its test on its water treatment system installed at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was heavily damaged during the March 11 earthquake.

The installed system forms a key role in Tepco's efforts to contain the ongoing nuclear crisis, as it is designed to filter and remove radioactive material from the large amounts of contaminated water that have accumulated at the power plant, Kyodo news agency reported. It is estimated that over 100,000 tons of contaminated water have been accumulated.

Tepco, which is targeting to begin using the water treatment system by Friday, is planning to eventually be able to recycle the filtered water in order to be reused to continue cooling the plant's reactors.

The company has continuously pumped water into its plant's overheating reactors to help cool down its high temperatures after the earthquake severely damaged the nuclear power plant's cooling systems in its three reactors. However, the plant is running out of space for the accumulated water, and as a result, it is threatening to overflow. According to an official, the combined amount of radiation in the tainted water is estimated to be 720,000 terabecquerels.

During tests, workers discovered a leak in one of the system's pumps, but a spare pump was reportedly used to deal with the issue, as the system nears full operation.

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was severely damaged on March 11 when a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and a subsequent tsunami devastated the country. The disaster disabled the cooling systems of the plant, and radioactive elements leaked into the sea and were later found in water, air and food products in some parts of Japan.

At least 23,482 people were killed, while 8,069 people remain missing. There are still 88,361 people staying in shelters in 21 prefectures around Japan.

Last Saturday, about 2,400 protesters took part in a rally in central Tokyo and called for a change in the government's energy policies, as they marked the 3 month anniversary of the catastrophe.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-06-17