TEPCO gauges nuke crisis' impact on sea, tries to resume restoring work

"TOYKO, March 22, Kyodo

Tokyo Electric Power Co. began studying the ongoing nuclear crisis' impact on the sea Tuesday, while trying to proceed with work to restore power at crippled reactors to help revive their crucial cooling functions.

The utility plans to study seawater at four locations off the Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants in Fukushima Prefecture a day after finding highly concentrated radioactive substances in seawater near the crisis-hit Daiichi plant's water discharging outlets.

After disruptions Monday afternoon due to smoke billowing from the No. 3 and then the No. 2 reactor buildings, TEPCO managed to connect the No. 1 reactor that night to an external power source, the fourth to be connected after the No. 2, No. 5 and No. 6 reactors, it said.

While it has been aiming to supply power to the No. 2 reactor's central control room during Tuesday, a white steam-like plume and hazy smoke were seen rising from the No. 2 and No. 3 reactor buildings, respectively, in the morning, it said, adding the work may be delayed further.

Meanwhile, trucks with a concrete squeeze pump and a 50-meter arm capable of pouring water from a higher point, provided by private firms, were slated to spray water at the No. 4 reactor's spent fuel pool in the afternoon, but TEPCO said this also could be delayed."

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"According to TEPCO, radioactive iodine-131 was detected Monday in the seawater samples at levels 126.7 times higher than the legal concentration limit. Levels of cesium-134 were 24.8 times higher and those of cesium-137 16.5 times higher while a trace amount of cobalt 58 was detected in a sample of seawater taken from near the plant."

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