A 5.9 magnitude earthquake, a hydraulic oil spill and the release of an International Atomic Energy Agency report highlighted the last week at Fukushima Daiichi.
Recent developments related to the Tokyo Electric Power Co. plant blacked out following Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami include:
Plant Stable After Saturday Quake
Just before 3 p.m. Saturday, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture shook the plant. No damage was found, according to a TEPCO release. Although inspections did reveal a spill of about 4 liters from the overflow pipe of a treated water tank servicing units 5 and 6. The same tank had overflowed onto the ground the previous day, and testing at that point indicated radioactive materials were below detection limits. To keep it from leaking again, TEPCO reduced the water level to about 1 meter below the top of the tank.
Unit 3 Equipment Leaks Oil
Just before the earthquake, a worker found about 20 liters of oil leaking from remotely controlled heavy equipment removing debris from the upper levels of unit 3. Oil did not enter the unit's spent fuel pool, according to a TEPCO release. Crews cleaned it up, and an inspection showed the oil came from a detached hose on a hydraulic cutter.
IAEA Releases Report