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Tokyo Electric Power Co. said fuel in other reactors at its damaged nuclear plant may have melted, after confirming rods in the No. 1 unit had fallen from their assembly, potentially delaying plans to resolve the crisis.
“The findings at the No. 1 reactor indicate the likelihood that the water level readings in the other reactors aren’t accurate,” Junichi Matsumoto, a general manager at the utility known as Tepco, said today. “It could be that a meltdown similar to that in the No. 1 reactor has occurred.”
Moody’s Japan K.K. cut Tepco’s credit ratings and put it on review for further possible downgrade after today’s news. Tepco has been struggling to cool reactors and stop radiation leaks to end the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986. The discovery that fuels rods melted within 16 hours of power being knocked out means it’s unlikely Tepco can meet its timetable for containing the leaks, a nuclear engineering professor said.
“Tepco didn’t clearly indicate how much uncertainty and potential negative scenarios were factored into the road map,” said Hironobu Unesaki at Kyoto University. “I don’t think they gathered enough data before coming up with the plan.”
Tepco Says Fuel in 2 Reactors May Have Melted - Bloomberg
“The findings at the No. 1 reactor indicate the likelihood that the water level readings in the other reactors aren’t accurate,” Junichi Matsumoto, a general manager at the utility known as Tepco, said today. “It could be that a meltdown similar to that in the No. 1 reactor has occurred.”
Moody’s Japan K.K. cut Tepco’s credit ratings and put it on review for further possible downgrade after today’s news. Tepco has been struggling to cool reactors and stop radiation leaks to end the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986. The discovery that fuels rods melted within 16 hours of power being knocked out means it’s unlikely Tepco can meet its timetable for containing the leaks, a nuclear engineering professor said.
“Tepco didn’t clearly indicate how much uncertainty and potential negative scenarios were factored into the road map,” said Hironobu Unesaki at Kyoto University. “I don’t think they gathered enough data before coming up with the plan.”
Tepco Says Fuel in 2 Reactors May Have Melted - Bloomberg
