Nuke plant starts pumping out radioactive water

Apr 19, 2011 |

TOKYO

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The operator of Japan's crippled nuclear plant has begun pumping highly radioactive water from the basement of one reactor's turbine building to a makeshift storage area — a key step in stabilizing the complex.

Removing the 25,000 tons of contaminated water that has collected in the basement of Fukushima Dai-ichi's Unit 2 will allow access for workers trying to restore vital cooling systems that were knocked out during the March 11 tsunami that left more than 27,000 people dead or missing.

The step on Tuesday was one of many in a lengthy process to resolve the crisis. Tokyo Electric Power Co. projected in a road map released over the weekend that would take up to nine months to reach a cold shutdown of the plant.

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