Work has been proceeding to reconnect the Fukushima Daiichi plant to the grid to restart reactor coolant pumps.
Utility TEPCO has announced it has restored one of three emergency diesel generators at unit 6, and as a result, one of the residual heat removal (RHR) pumps at unit 5 has started up. Two other pumps at unit 5 will be restarted after a pump at unit 6 is restored, work that is underway as of 12:30pm GMT.
The six-unit station is in two blocks; units 1-4 are in one block, and units 5&6 are in another slightly farther up the coast.
TEPCO reports that the auxiliary transformer of unit 2 is receiving electricity from an external transmission line, and it is now installing a power cable from that transformer to a temporary power panel. TEPCO also reports it is working to receive external power to units 3 and 4. It also reports that it has completed repairs to an emergency generator at unit 6, and is working on receiving external power supply to units 5&6. According to the Japanese Atomic Industry Forum, external power supply for units 1&2 is due to be reconnected today, and units 3-6 tomorrow.
Units of the Japanese Self Defence Force, riot police, US Army fire engines and most recently the Tokyo Fire Department's Hyper Rescue have been spraying and dropping water on the spent fuel pool to cool it.
Radiation levels remain relatively high; a rate of 364.5 microSv/h was detected at the west gate today. Yesterday (18 March) the Japanese Nuclear Industrial and Safety Agency raised the consequences of part of the Fukushima Daiichi emergency from INES level 4 , 'accident with local consequences' 4 to level 5,'accident with wider consequences'.
FilesReactor-by-reactor, system-by-system summary from JAIF on 21 March
