Power was lost at Fukushima Nuclear Facility the other day causing no reported issues, but the power loss affected systems responsible for keeping the ‘icewall’ containment cooled. As I wrote in the book, Heal and Protect: A Nuclear World:

“Hundreds of spent fuel rods sit one hundred feet off the ground atop a damaged nuclear facility, cooled by pumps and electricity, in a structurally compromised building. If it were to suffer an earthquake or tsunami of similar magnitude, it could collapse, leading to the worst nuclear disaster in history as hundreds of tons of nuclear fuel rods would burn and release radioactive poison across the northern hemisphere of the world.”

While a minor power loss that doesn’t appear to have caused any issues, we have to remember the serious of the condition of the three meltdown reactors with spent-fuel perched precariously on damaged buildings and threatening the entire planet. That minor power losses are even allowed to happen and that back-ups weren’t instantly switched on should cause concern. As the article makes clear, the meltdowns are kept cool by constant water circulation. Cesium scrubbing units also were shut-down because of the power loss.

From Japan Times, June 28 2016:

The operator of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant said Tuesday a power outage halted some systems but that no problems were detected in the cooling of the three melted-down reactors.

Machinery affected included cooling equipment for an underground ice wall, which is being set up around four reactor buildings in a bid to restrict the flow of groundwater beneath them.

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said an alarm sounded at 3:40 a.m. Tuesday, and workers found a unit that filters radioactive cesium from contaminated water had shut down.

The Nos. 1 to 3 reactors, which suffered meltdowns in the 2011 crisis, are currently being kept cool by having water poured into them every day.