Only Two Pressure Vessels Breached at Fukushima Daiichi

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources East Asia (Kofu-shi, Japan)--Following this week's confirmation of meltdowns at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, Tokyo Electric Power Company Incorporated (TYO:9501) (TEPCO) (Tokyo) has also confirmed that the reactor vessels of units 1 and 2 have suffered breaches. There are at least two openings in the pressure vessel of Unit 2, while Unit 1 only has one detectable breach. Units 1 through 3 have all suffered meltdowns; however, molten fuel has only escaped the reactors of units 1 and 2. Meltdown in these three units was suspected after TEPCO discovered that the water level in the pressure vessel of Unit 1 was four meters below the lowest limit after the installation of new gauges.

Events following March 11's earthquake and tsunami have been vague and troublesome. Some claim that TEPCO abandoned emergency procedures or that the prime minister ordered the discontinuation of seawater injection immediately following the tsunami in order to prevent recriticality. TEPCO submitted its analysis of what happened at units 1 through 3 to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) on Monday, two full months after METI's initial request. The utility company has stated that the analysis was delayed by the physical inability to collect data at Fukushima Daiichi. High radiation levels have prevented technicians from entering any of the unit housings from mid-March until mid-May. Missing data normally collected by computers, which are either severely damaged or under water, was supplied through employee interviews and paper printouts found in the control rooms.

March 11's events and the ongoing nuclear crisis have placed eastern and northeastern Japan in a power crunch. The capacities of both TEPCO and Tohoku Electric Power Company Incorporated (TYO:9506 ) (Tokuden) (Sendai, Japan) are still down by substantial amounts. Japan's government announced that power-saving in these utility service areas is set to begin on July 1 and will last for two months. Officials are hoping to cut electricity consumption by 15% in order to prevent the implementation of rolling blackouts again. The cut is mandatory for large-scale industrial facilities, whereas hospitals and railways will not have to adhere to the plan. Both TEPCO and Tokuden are working to add more capacity before demand peak season begins.

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