http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-03-20/japan-warns-fukushima-crisis-unlikely-to-be-resolved-quickly.htmlMarch 20 (Bloomberg) -- Japan said efforts to stabilize the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant had some success while a quick resolution is unlikely as the fight to contain the worst nuclear catastrophe in a quarter century entered its second week.
Japan’s military sprayed water from fire engines to cool the Fukushima Dai-Ichi No. 4 reactor, the site of two blazes last week. Pressure in No. 3, which spiked earlier, has stabilized, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said in Tokyo.
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A successful hook-up would have advanced efforts to prevent a total meltdown of the reactors following the March 11 disaster. Tepco had planned to partially restore power at the No. 1 and No. 2 reactors by 4 p.m. today, according to Teruaki Kobayashi, a nuclear maintenance official.
Storage pools used to cool spent fuel rods atop the No. 4 reactor had little or no water, and large amounts of radiation could be released as the exposed rods overheat, Gregory Jaczko, the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, told Congress on March 16, citing reports he received from NRC officials in Japan.
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