Nuclear Plant In Japan Reports Vapor Leak But No Danger Of Radiation

CIVIL NUCLEAR

File photo of the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant, in Ehime prefecture.

Tokyo (AFP) Jul 11, 2005
A nuclear power company said Monday that water vapor had leaked through a hole in a pipe in one of its plants in western Japan but there was no danger of radiation.

About four liters (one gallon) in water, used to control the level of boric acid used in the reactor, leaked from the Ikata Nuclear Power Plant's No. 1 reactor in Ehime prefecture Sunday night through the 0.5 millimeter-wide hole, Shikoku Electric Power Co. said in a statement.

"The incident has no impact on the operation of the reactor and no impact on the environment as there is no leak of radiation," it said.

"We will investigate the cause of the incident, while the pipe will be replaced with a new one," it said.

Ehime prefecture also saw no need for an emergency evacuation, a local official said.

Resource-strapped Japan depends on nuclear power generation for about 30 percent of its total electricity needs. Japanese companies have come under fire for a string of accidents at nuclear power plants in recent years blamed on human error and poor maintenance.

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