Nuclear power reactor shut down after suspected nitrogen leak
TOKYO (AP) - A nuclear power reactor in northern Japan was shut down Friday due to a suspected nitrogen leak from a container connected to the reactor's containment tank, but there was no radiation leak outside the facility, its operator said.
The No. 1 reactor at the Onagawa nuclear power plant in Oshika town, 300 kilometers (190 miles) northeast of Tokyo, was shut down after workers found an abnormal increase in the amount of nitrogen flowing into the containment tank, suggesting a leak from pipes, said Satoshi Arakawa, spokesman of Tohoku Electric Power Co.
The operator shut down the reactor after failing to determine the cause of the possible leakage, he said. The reactor resumed operation only a month ago after a four-month regular inspection.
The tank is designed to contain radioactive material in case of accidents, and nitrogen is supplied to the tank to prevent a possible explosion when oxygen in the air reacts with hydrogen.
The reactor had been shut down eight times in the past 20 years in operation for separate troubles.
In the nation's deadliest nuclear accident last year, a pipe at a plant in Mihama, western Japan, burst, splashing workers with superheated steam and boiling water. No radiation was released but five workers were killed.-AP
News Poll
- Man posted doctored photos of Nik Aziz
- Heartbreaking wait for mum
- The world just got bigger
- Sodomy II: Judge decision on recusing himself on Feb 18
- Opposition leaders decry court’s ruling
- Thumbs-up for Najib
- 5-0 for BN’s Zambry
- Saiful files report over death threat
- WWF: Orang asli being used
- Weather warning for Perak, Selangor and Sabah
- 60 lose RM25mil in gold investment scam
- Canberra to set new skills list
- MAS offers CNY bargains
- Fleet card cloning ring busted with arrest of trio
- WWF: Orang asli being used
- ‘Flashing candy’ a health hazard: Health Ministry
- Sodomy II: Judge decision on recusing himself on Feb 18
- Toyota puts the brakes on problem
- Manila joins hunt for Semporna gunmen
- Man posted doctored photos of Nik Aziz
RSS
