After nearly two months of assurances, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) revealed today that not just one but three of the nuclear reactors at their Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant suffered meltdowns of fuel rods very soon after the plant was disabled by a massive earthquake and tsunami.
This disclosure contrasts with TEPCO's earlier statements that meltdowns of fuel rods had occurred in only one reactor.
The company assures us that "most" of the melted fuel is covered with water in all three reactors now, and that the temperatures of the melted fuel rods are below dangerous levels.
Really? The massive earthquake and tsunami caused a disaster and raised serious questions about the viability of nuclear power worldwide. Now the greatest threat to the nuclear power industry is candor. If there is any hope for nuclear power, it will only come after the industry itself demands that TEPCO come clean with all the facts.
John Howley
Woodbridge, New Jersey
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