Chubu Electric reports new leakage at reactor
Date: 15-Jul-02
Country: JAPAN
A spokesman at Chubu, Japan's third-largest power utility, said that no radiation has leaked into the outside environment.
The leak occurred in the valve of a pump at the 1,137-megawatt (MW) No 4 nuclear reactor at its Hamaoka power plant, some 150 km (90 miles) southwest of Tokyo in Shizuoka prefecture, he said.
On July 3, a leak was discovered in the valve of a turbine at its 1,100-MW No 3 reactor, the spokesman said.
He said both reactors were currently operating.
The Hamaoka plant's two other nuclear reactors, the 540-MW No 1 reactor and the 840-MW No reactor, have also suffered from similar steam and water leaks in the facility since November last year. Both reactors remain closed.
The spokesman said the leaks were not due to any fault in the design of the Hamaoka nuclear power plant.
He said the company's decision to disclose even relatively minor troubles at the plant has made it appear as though the facility was prone to mishaps.