Fukushima nuke plant to stabilize in 6-9 months
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The crippled Fukushima No. 1 power plant will be stabilized to a condition known as "cold shutdown" in about six to nine months, Tokyo Electric Power Co., operator of the Fukushima nuclear plant said Sunday.
The company's chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata announced the utility's schedule "for the moment" for bringing the complex in Fukushima Prefecture under control at a news conference in Tokyo.
Restoring stable cooling to the reactors and spent fuel pools will take about three months, he said, meaning it needs three months to achieve "steady reduction" in radiation.
Then, the utility will need an additional three to six months to control radioactive emissions and curb radiation substantially.
Preventing hydrogen explosions at the No. 1 to 3 reactors and emission of water contaminated with high-level radiation from the No. 2 reactor are the top two challenges for the operator to achieve its goal, the utility said.
Katsumata also revealed he is considering stepping down from his post to take the blame.
Also on Sunday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said while meeting with Fukushima Gov. Yuhei Sato that the government "may be able to give an estimate in the next few days" of when the nuclear emergency will be contained, Kyodo News said.
The nuclear plant has been crippled by the devastating March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, causing radioactive materials to be emitted into the environment.
