Power Restored to all Six Units at Japan's Nuclear Plant
March 22, 2011— -- All six units at Japan's troubled Fukushima Daiichi plant have been hooked back up to the country's electrical grid, but officials have yet to flick on the power switch.
"They've connected the wires to the pumps but they haven't turned the pumps on for fear of an explosion," Dr. Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist said. "There could be hydrogen gas there and if they hook up the power and then they turn it on and there's a spark, that could set off a hydrogen gas explosion."
Workers were seen smiling this morning after turning on the lights in the control room of unit 3, NHK reported. The step forward comes after a turbulent few hours where a boiling spent fuel pond at Unit 2 alarmed experts.
The fuel pond appears to have stabilized after emergency crews dumped 18 tons of seawater into the storage pool. Workers continue to douse units three and four with water at the disaster-stricken facility.
"The last three days we've had reassuring words, we've turned the corner, things are stable but it's on knife's edge, any small earthquake any spent fuel pond boiling incident could cause the workers to evacuate," Kaku said.
This morning a 6.6 magnitude earthquake rattled the country. Yesterday, smoke billowing from unit 2 temporarily halted work at the plant.
Japan's Nuclear Safety Agency confirmed today that more tests have been ordered for radiation in seawater as fear spreads that Japan's seafood supply might be contaminated.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan said that no seafood from Fukushima prefecture has reached fish markets since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck March 11, NHK reported.
TEPCO announced that the level of iodine in the seawater surrounding the Fukushima plant is 27.1 times higher than the normal level. The level of cesium is 2.5 times higher than normal levels.
Contaminated spinach and milk has already been pulled from store shelves.
