Japanese reactor to be shut down for unplanned check

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RIA Novosti, PUBLISHED May 07, 2011

The Unit Two reactor of Japan's Tsuruga nuclear power plant will be stopped for an unplanned inspection of Saturday, the Kyodo news agency said, citing the plant's operator.

Japan Atomic Power Co (JAPC) reported on Monday that it detected increased radiation levels in the cooling system of the 1160-megawatt reactor, which may be the sign of a radiation leak.

According to the company, the analysis of reactor coolant showed 4.2 becquerels of iodine-133 and 3,900 becquerels of xenon gas per cubic centimeter, up from 2.1 becquerels of iodine and 5.2 becquerels of xenon recorded earlier.

In addition, the Kyushu Electric Power Co said it planned to close the 890-megawatt reactor of the Sendai NPP for planned maintenance next week. The operations are expected to take some two months.

The twin natural disaster in northeast Japan in March left more than 25,000 people dead or missing. Thousands more were forced to evacuate their homes in the ensuing nuclear disaster at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, hit by hydrogen blasts and subsequent radiation leaks.

Topics: NPP, Asia, Japan, Safety

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