Spraying of water resumes at crisis-hit Fukushima nuke plant

[nadinbrzezinski]

TOKYO, March 21, Kyodo

Fire trucks resumed spraying water early Monday at the crisis-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant as part of efforts to cool its overheating reactors and fuel pools.

The operation to cool the No. 4 reactor's spent-fuel pool began Sunday, while the No. 3 unit has so far been doused with over 3,700 tons of water since the unprecedented effort by Self-Defense Forces personnel, firefighters and others to lower the temperature in its fuel tank from outside its damaged building began Thursday.

External power reached the power-receiving facilities of the No. 2 and No. 5 reactors on Sunday, paving the way for plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. to restore their systems to monitor radiation and other data, light the control room and cool down the reactors and their spent-fuel storage pools.

The No. 5 and 6 reactors, which have been relatively less problematic than the plant's four others, stopped safely Sunday with the temperature of the water inside falling below 100 C, achieving so-called ''cold shutdown.''

http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/79865.html