Fukushima nuke accident on par with Chernobyl and could get worse

Forum Contacts RSS		RUSSIAN

RIA Novosti, PUBLISHED April 12, 2011

The consequences of the accident at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant may ultimately exceed the level of Chernobyl, a spokesman for Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the Fukushima Daiichi operator, said on Tuesday.

Officials from the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) announced that the crisis level had been raised on the international nuclear and radiological event (INES) scale, putting the emergency on a par with Chernobyl.

"The radiation leak has not stopped completely and our concern is that the amount of leakage [of radiation] could eventually reach that of Chernobyl or exceed it," Kyodo news agency quoted the official from TEPCO as saying.

NISA said that Japan on Tuesday raised the severity level of the accident from the current 5 at the plant to the maximum 7 on an international scale, which the Chernobyl disaster was given in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine in 1986. The Chernobyl plant is the only nuclear disaster that has ever been rated on a level of 7.

A powerful quake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan on March 11 leaving more than 27,000 people dead or missing and disabling the cooling systems at Fukushima reactors. Radioactive elements were later found in the water, air and food products in some parts of Japan.

Topics: NPP Fukushima Daiichi

Other news:

Russia ready to finance Egypt first nuclear plant

Russia confirmed its participation in a tender to build Egypt's first nuclear power plant and said it was willing to help finance the project.

ARMZ acquires Australian uranium producer in $1.2 bln deal

ARMZ will pay eight Australian dollars per share, which represents a 15.5 percent premium on the average market price for 20 trading days.

Russia to start building Turkish NPP in 2013

Russia will start building Turkey's first NPP estimated at $20 billion in 2013, Russian ambassador to Ankara Vladimir Ivanovsky said.

Hero of the day

Alexander Chistozvonov: end of the Romantic period

Today, the army of managers is earnestly believing that one can take the man responsible for the licensing of alcoholic beverages, and put it on licensing, and even to supervise the nuclear reactor.

INTERVIEW

Christophe Behar
We are preparing now a review of these design options and the decision has to be made in 2012, by the public authorities. ASTRID basic and detailed design will be launched afterwards.

OPINION

Vladimir Rychin
AREVA will return the foreign workers to the uranium deposits in Niger, which have been evacuated after the September seizure of seven hostages.