Power plant before the quake and tsunamiThe operator of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant says it will take between six to nine months to bring the reactors at the complex fully under control. A two-step plan published Sunday outlines a number of tasks and risks that remain, but doesn't provide an estimate for when thousands of evacuees can return home.The plan is divided into two stages, and has as its goal the removal of the fuel rods from the reactors and and from the spent fuel pools at the plant.
It was unveiled by Tokyo Electric Power Chairman Tsuneihisa Katsumata.
Katsumata says during the first stage of the project the company will achieve stable cooling at the reactors and spent fuel pools, secure enough space to store highly contaminated water, and reduce the output of radiation. That will take around three months.
The second stage is expected to take another three to six months. During this period, the company expects to bring the water temperature in the reactors fully under control.
Tokyo Electric is currently engaged in a delicate balancing act. It is trying to pump in just enough water to keep the temperature of the reactors stable but not enough to cause excessive leakage or a hydrogen explosion.
http://www.thejapannews.net/story/770529