A 35-ton piece of machinery has been found at the bottom of the spent nuclear fuel pool in the No. 3 reactor at the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said Friday.
TEPCO officials told a news conference that the device, which is used to exchange fuel, probably toppled over after the hydrogen explosion on March 12 last year, the day after the tsunami struck the plant, Fuji TV reported.
TEPCO said the device was spotted seven meters below the water a remote-controlled camera which it has been using to monitor the state of the reactor.
© Japan Today
14 Comments
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Ayler
How easy is it to overlook a 35 ton piece of equipment? It wasn't noticed missing during the past year's work? Not like it fell behind the sofa cushion is it?
jforce
"Found" like it was a surprise? The bumbling continues.
Elbuda Mexicano
35 ton device?? Geez! I wonder what other stuff they will find down there!
kurisupisu
I bet that caused some damage.....
nandakandamanda
Sounds like part of the hoist for raising and lowering fuel rods. (One at Kashiwasaki Kariwa nuclear plant sheared right through the solid steel base in the earthquake they had there.) That must have damaged some of the rods as it fell. Hope it didn't crack the bottom of the pool...
Cricky
Must have noticed a 35t piece of equipment missing before now? Guess it was speculation before as to where it was. Wasn't part of the damage assessment? If there was one. Total professionals.
nandakandamanda
Just had a look at some J language sites. Apparently this chunk, part of a 35-ton raising and lowering device, fell on top of the fuel rod rack. From the relatively low radioactivity detected and the murky pics they reckon it did not do any damage, but they will need to do further checks, TEPCO say.
cleo
Considering the high levels of radiation means that no one can go and look inside at what's where, I should think it's pretty easy to not know where things are.
that korean guy
it sure makes you sleep better at night...
warnerbro
Other than that, and the meters of missing water in #2, and the creaking house of cards holding up fuel pond #4 and the haemorrhaging cooling "system" held together with duct tape, and the sputtering nitrogen injection system, and the failing thermometers, and the fact that nobody knows where any of the fuel is for #1, #2 or #3 or if any of it is being cooled, how was your day at TEPCO, dear?
SquidBert
But as the government has decided that it is completely safe to restart the Oi reactors, does this mean that they can guarantee that the same thing will not happen there?
No they are just doing what they always done, they just choose to believe it is safe.
sf2k
A year later and they're just figuring this out? How can confidence be restored if nothing restores confidence?
suzukakid
This sounds like an old your momma joke!
tmarie
Is this a joke??? I guess they thought it was safe to slip this in now with all the NK news.... How on earth do you not notice this - or not report it before? Probably known for a while but waiting for a busy news week??