Tokyo Electric Power Company is inspecting equipment on Sunday before turning on external power at 2 of the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The power company says it will turn on electricity to resume cooling functions at the No.1 and No.2 reactors once it determines that the various parts of the facility are in working order. Engineers finished connecting the reactors to external power sources on Saturday.
The power company wants to have electricity back on in the central control room – the heart of the plant – by Sunday evening.
It says when the central control room gets power again, it can collect data on the condition of the reactors and other equipment.
To restore electricity to the No.3 and No.4 reactors, the utility company says it is considering laying power cables that bypass a radiation contaminated area.
Regarding the No.5 and No.6 reactors, a portion of their power source has been hooked up. The company says it is planning to begin work to transmit electricity to the reactors on Sunday evening.
The nuclear plant lost its cooling function for the reactors and the spent fuel rod pools when backup power generators malfunctioned after the quake.
A large amount of radiation could escape if measures are not taken to restore the cooling systems.
Sunday, March 20, 2011 13:19 +0900 (JST)
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