InfoAnda - Tepco confirms meltdowns at 2 more Fukushima reactors |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Turkish film wins in Berlin, Polanski honored | | 21 February 2010
Dalai Lama and West distorting protests to tarnish China | | 30 January 2012
Judge Bans Courtney Love From Contacting Daughter | 20 December 2009

Palestinian police taking to the airwaves | 1 August 2011

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Tepco confirms meltdowns at 2 more Fukushima reactors |

Edition: U.S. Article Comments (1) Full Focus Editor's choice A selection of our top photos from the past 48 hours. Full Article Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Obama visits family roots in Ireland | 23 May 2011 NATO bombs Tripoli, Clinton says time against Gaddafi | 23 May 2011 Netanyahu to outline peace vision in speech to Congress 23 May 2011 "Apprentice" ends with lowest-ever spring finale 23 May 2011 DNA evidence reported to tie Strauss-Kahn to accuser 23 May 2011 Discussed 325 Obama and Netanyahu face tense meeting on Mideast 124 As hours tick by, ”Judgment Day” looks a dud 103 Broadcaster silent as Judgment Day hours tick by Watched Arnold Schwarzenegger's mystery woman identified Thu, May 19 2011 Colombia's flood economy 12:40am EDT Plankers get fired for stunt Sun, May 22 2011 Tepco confirms meltdowns at 2 more Fukushima reactors Tweet Share this By Shinichi Saoshiro TOKYO (Reuters) - The operator of the nuclear power plant at the center of a radiation scare after being disabled by Japan's earthquake and tsunami confirmed Tuesday that there had been meltdowns of fuel rods at three of its... Email Print Related News Tepco chief quits after $15 billion loss on nuclear crisis Fri, May 20 2011 UPDATE 1-Kyushu Elec warns of summer power shortages Thu, May 19 2011 Workers enter No.3 reactor at crippled Japan nuclear Thu, May 19 2011 Japan PM: must review oversight of nuclear power Wed, May 18 2011 Japan keeps Fukushima shutdown target despite setbacks Tue, May 17 2011 Analysis & Opinion Tech wrap: Sony takes a $3.2 billion beating SBI-led weakness to continue, monsoon next trigger Related Topics World » United Nations » Japan » Natural Disasters » Nuclear Power » Workers wearing protective suits enter the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO)'s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant No.2 reactor building in Fukushima Prefecture, in this handout photo taken on May 18 and released by TEPCO on May 19, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Tokyo Electric Power Co/Handout By Shinichi Saoshiro TOKYO | Tue May 24, 2011 3:05am EDT TOKYO (Reuters) - The operator of the nuclear power plant at the center of a radiation scare after being disabled by Japan's earthquake and tsunami confirmed Tuesday that there had been meltdowns of fuel rods at three of its reactors. Tokyo Electric Power Co said meltdowns of fuel rods at three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant occurred early in the crisis triggered by the March 11 disaster. The government and outside experts had said previously that fuel rods at three of the plant's six reactors had likely melted early in the crisis, but the utility, also known as Tepco, had only confirmed a meltdown at the No.1 reactor. Tepco officials said a review since early May of data from the plant concluded the same happened to reactors No.2 and 3. The preliminary finding, which was reported to Japan's nuclear safety agency, represents part of an initial effort to explain how events at Fukushima spiraled out of control early in the crisis. Also Tuesday, the government appointed Yotaro Hatamura, a Tokyo University professor of engineering who has studied how complex systems and designs fail, to head a committee that will investigate the cause and handling of the nuclear crisis. The moves came as a team of investigators from the International Atomic Energy Agency began a two-week visit to Japan to prepare a report on the accident to be submitted to the United Nations agency in June. Some analysts said the delay in confirming the meltdowns at Fukushima suggested the utility feared touching off a panic by disclosing the severity of the accident earlier. "Now people are used to the situation. Nothing is resolved, but normal business has resumed in places like Tokyo," said Koichi Nakano, a political science professor at Tokyo's Sophia University. Nakano said that by confirming the meltdowns now, Tepco may be hoping the news will have less impact. The word "meltdown" has such a strong connotation that when the situation was more uncertain more people would likely have fled Tokyo, he said. Engineers are battling to plug radiation leaks and bring the plant 240 km (150 miles) northeast of Tokyo under control more than two months after the 9.0 magnitude earthquake and deadly tsunami that devastated a vast swathe of Japan's northeast coastline and tipped the economy into recession. The disaster has triggered a drop of more than 80 percent in Tepco's share price and forced the company to seek government aid as it faces compensation liabilities that some analysts say could top $100 billion. Japanese trade minister Banri Kaieda said the government would approve the formation of a committee later Tuesday that will make sure Tepco follows through with restructuring plans. Tepco officials said damage to the No.2 reactor fuel rods had begun three days after the quake, with much of the fuel rods eventually melting and collecting at the bottom of the pressure vessel containing them. Fuel rods in the No.3 reactor were damaged by the afternoon of March 13, they said. TSUNAMI The Tepco officials repeated that the tsunami had disabled power to the reactors and knocked out their cooling capability. Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for the government's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency, expressed a similar view. "We don't think the quake affected the important parts of the plant, such as its cooling capacity," Nishiyama told reporters Tuesday, although he added there were still some aspects that needed to be clarified by inspecting the site directly. That process is likely to make months because of the high radiation readings in areas of the plant, experts have said. "It could very well be that Tepco is rushing to conclude that the tsunami is to blame to prevent further questions and give more momentum to the nuclear camp. It's not just Tepco, it's the whole nuclear industry, maybe business circles as a whole. It's highly political," said Sophia University's Nakano. Others said that from a very early stage the tsunami, not the quake, was the likely cause of the overheating and subsequent damage of the reactors at Daiichi. "As with the other nuclear reactors, such as Onagawa (in northeastern Japan), those at Daiichi deactivated after the quake. It is our belief that it was the tsunami that knocked out power and took out the systems and pumps that cool the reactors, resulting in their damage and radiation leakage," said Kazuhiko Kudo, a Kyushu University professor who specializes in nuclear engineering. Despite a steady flow of information on how the clean-up is proceeding -- Tepco and the government's nuclear watchdog hold news conferences twice a day on most weekdays -- the authorities have faced criticism for what some have said is a lack of timely disclosure. "I am very sorry that the public is mistrustful of the various disclosures made by the government on the accident," Prime Minister Naoto Kan said in parliament Monday. (Additional reporting by Linda Sieg and Yoko Nishikawa; Editing by Chris Gallagher and Michael Watson) World United Nations Japan Natural Disasters Nuclear Power Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language, all capital letters or appear to be spam, and we review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. Comments (1) Ralphooo wrote: The fuel rods became hot enough to melt their own metal. At such high temperatures, it’s no wonder there were some explosions. When hot enough, the metal rods react with oxygen in the air, undergoing the equivalent of very rapid rusting, known as oxidation. When a metal rusts it always releases some hydrogen, which is left over when the oxygen from a molecule of H2O sticks onto the hot metal to make an oxide, that is, rust (though this reactor rust could be a color other than red, being from a different metal). May 23, 2011 12:56am EDT -- Report as abuse See All Comments » Add Your Comment Social Stream (What's this?) © Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Super Lawyers Attorney Rating Service Reuters on Facebook Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Emerging countries push back on picking IMF chief |
Armed looters burn Sudan's disputed Abyei town: U.N. |
Palestinians' Fayyad had heart attack in Texas, stable |
Spanish Socialists hammered in local elections |
IBM passes Microsoft's market cap after 15 years |
Analysis: Sony's breach a hiccup to online game phenomenon |
Online poker payment processor admits U.S. charges |
Apple investors brush off China blast impact |
Egyptian uprising hero says social networks crucial |
Toshiba to invest $8.5 billion over next three years: report |
Electricity from microbes a step closer: study |
Russell Brand deported from Japan, wife Katy Perry says |
Jeff Bridges to release self-titled album in August |
David Schwimmer and wife welcome baby girl |
Ash cloud hits Scottish flights, Ryanair complains |
Netanyahu to outline peace vision in speech to Congress |
NATO bombs Tripoli, Clinton says time against Gaddafi |
U.S. envoy makes groundbreaking trip to North Korea |
Black boxes indicate pilot error in Air France crash: report |
Lethal blast at Iran refinery as Ahmadinejad visits |
Two killed as car explodes in Kazakh capital |
EU imposes sanctions on Syria's Assad |
Tepco confirms meltdowns at 2 more Fukushima reactors |
Palestinians' Fayyad had heart attack in U.S. |
Sony shares rise 2 percent on relief worst might be over |
Toshiba cautious on nuclear, eyes renewables |
Idol creator Simon Fuller gets Hollywood star |
Book of Mormon, Anything Goes top Drama Desk awards |
Pakistan media ridicules military after attack |
Heavy clashes erupt in Yemen capital, 4 dead |
Special report: Beyond bin Laden, Britain's fight against jihad |
Exclusive: Libya's Ghanem may be on secret government mission |
Russian court upholds Khodorkovsky conviction |
Tunisian government confirms July 24 election date |
India offers $5 billion to Africa in bid to boost ties |
Yandex shares rise more than 40 percent on first day |
Microsoft revamps phone software, adds handset makers |
Barnes & Noble introduces new Nook e-reader |
Microsoft appeals against EU antitrust fine |
Sarkozy woos Web giants, urges state role |
Intel moves Sean Maloney to head China ops |
Explosion at China iPad factory highlights lax safety |
Leap opposes AT&T/T-Mobile USA acquisition |
Lauren, Scotty bring country to American Idol finale |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01