Japanese military personnel stand on fire engines before spraying water on reactors of the troubled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear complex. -- PHOTO: AP
OSAKA - ENGINEERS at a stricken nuclear plant in Japan have connected an electricity line to one of the reactors and are working to restore power for its cooling system, officials said on Saturday.
The cable has been linked to reactor No. 2 at the troubled Fukushima No. 1 plant, whose operator TEPCO has been battling to prevent a full-blown meltdown following a massive earthquake and tsunami.
There are six reactors at the plant, which is located about 250km north-east of Tokyo and has already leaked radiation, prompting the government to order an evacuation within a 20km radius.
'The line itself was connected to the reactor No. 2 but electricity has not been restored yet,' said a spokesman for the nuclear safety agency, Fumiaki Hayakawa.
'If the power is turned on without checks it may malfunction. They are checking the facility now. If no problem is found at the facility today, the power will resume as early as tomorrow (Sunday).' Once power is back up, the radiation-suited Fukushima engineers hope they can get vital cooling systems online. In the meantime, they have been dumping water by hose and by air on the reactors to cool the fuel rods.
Given the extent of damage at the plant, it is unclear whether the cooling system will work even if power is restored. -- AFP
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