Japan Discovers New Leak At Nuke Plant

Latest In Series Of Failures Caused By Quake; Plant Shut Down Indefinitely

(CBS/AP)  The fire at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which blazed for two hours on Monday, likely broke out after the quake caused the ground beneath an electric transformer to sink, damaging cables, causing a short circuit and igniting leaked insulation oil, the business daily Nikkei reported, citing a probe by the prefectural government.

The quake has caused trouble for other industries as well. Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi and Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru, all halted production because a key parts supplier was damaged by the temblor.

Fears of an electricity shortage in the nation's capital swelled when the plant was shuttered. Operator Tokyo Electric Power Co., Japan's largest utility, was scrambling to ramp up conventional power output.

In the damage zone, residents struggled to put their lives back together, though basic services such as water had not been restored to some areas.

"Until we get gas and water, we can't think about the future. For now, we're just getting by day by day," said Masatoshi Ogawa, sitting in front of his closed pachinko parlor. "Our houses were OK so we didn't have to go to evacuation centers, but life without water is really inconvenient."

TEPCO has warned that the closure of the key nuclear reactor could trigger a power shortage in the summer months. The Tokyo-based company has asked six other power companies in Japan to consider providing emergency electricity to prepare for a surge in demand as people turn up their air conditioners in the summer heat.

Though Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, officials at the plant admitted that they had not foreseen such a powerful temblor hitting the facility.

TEPCO has had problems like this before. In 2003, TEPCO was forced to halt all of its 17 nuclear reactors after admitting it had misreported safety problems in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

A trade ministry report revealed 29 cases of cracks or minor structural damage in eight of the company's nuclear reactors, including two reactors at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa. The company's top three officials resigned over the scandal, and authorities raided its Tokyo headquarters. TEPCO contended the cracks never posed any serious danger.

The last of TEPCO's shuttered reactors was cleared to reopen only in July 2005.

[eggy1620]

yeah, but do they "leak" during a 6.8 earthquake?
Posted by rushlimpdrug at 02:01 PM : Jul 19, 2007

I%u2019m sure those patients would leak radioactive iodine even more during an earthquake. Wouldn%u2019t you wet your pants? I know I would.

[gaye5]

And they want the world to become all nuclear to avoid pollution, but nuclear could be the ultimate pollution....if a country as technological efficient as Japan makes mistakes then what hope is there for countries of lesser knowledge..

They say that they haven't even had the big one which they are expecting. hmmm how do they close a facility down, or can they.?????

[rushlimpdrug]

Radioactive iodine is %u201Cleaked%u201D into the environment every day by thousands of thyroid cancer patients who get radiation therapy.
Posted by eggy1620

yeah, but do they "leak" during a 6.8 earthquake?

[erasmus6]

"...was designed to withstand an earthquake measuring 6.5 in magnitude. Monday night's earthquake was 6.8."

Yeah, so what now? Are they going to have to take them all down and rebuild them? I can't see them being able to make them stronger without starting all over. And because they are sitting on fault lines, I don't think they should be there anyways.

"The safety of ...(the) plant was fundamentally maintained and we avoided the serious consequences of a nuclear accident."

Yeah, maybe this time, but what about next time?
Also they seem to be finding more problems and I wonder how many more there is going to be before it's over.

[eggy1620]

Radioactive iodine is %u201Cleaked%u201D into the environment every day by thousands of thyroid cancer patients who get radiation therapy.

[incog-nito]

We would never have found out how bad the leak was, if it weren't for those giant insects that started to appear.

[antoniof123]

rushlimpdrug my thoughs exactly.

[rushlimpdrug]

"Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, officials at the plant admitted that they had not foreseen such a powerful temblor hitting the facility."

Gee, what had they fore$een? ?