TOKYO, Japan — The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant says cooling water levels have fallen in two of its reactors since a powerful earthquake hit the area last weekend, indicating possible additional damage.
New damage could further complicate the plant’s already difficult decommissioning process, which is expected to take decades.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. says the drop in water levels in the Unit 1 and 3 reactors indicates that the existing damage to their primary containment chambers was worsened by Saturday’s magnitude 7.3 quake, allowing more water to leak.
It says the leaked water is believed to have remained inside the reactor buildings and there is no sign of any outside impact.
