Good News from Fukushima, Japan?

"Lights restored at Japan nuclear reactor"
BBC News (March 22, 2011)

"Lighting has been restored in the control room of one of the most badly-damaged reactors at Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, officials say.

"It is hoped the development will speed up work to restore cooling systems vital for stabilising the reactor.

"Meanwhile, the UN's nuclear watchdog says radiation is still leaking from the quake-hit plant, but scientists are unsure exactly where it is coming from...."

Elsewhere in today's news, the Lemming noticed some none-too-surprising 'coulda-woulda-shoulda' speculation and Monday morning quarterbacking. It's fairly easy to be wise after the fact, and the Lemming will leave it at that.

'Lights on in the control room' is good news: but there's still a long, long road ahead.

"...The Fukushima Daiichi plant's operators, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), said engineers will try to power up water pumps to reactor 3 some time on Wednesday.

"However, they warned that safety checks had to be made to damaged equipment and any volatile gases vented, to avoid an explosion when the electricity is switched back on.

"They said restoring power to all the reactor units could take weeks or even months.

"Workers have been battling to cool the reactors and spent fuel ponds to avoid a major release of radiation.

"Emergency teams at Fukushima have also poured seawater into a boiling storage pond housing spent nuclear fuel rods, cooling it and stopping clouds of steam - possibly radioactive - rising from it...."

And that's restoring power to all the reactor units. From other reports, the Lemming gathers that having electrical power on site will make cleanup and containment a trifle easier: but it's unlikely that all the Fukushima reactors will be back in service.

Damage done by the earthquake, tsunami, malfunctioning nuclear reactors, and slightly radioactive spinach? That, in the Lemming's opinion, is going to take year and years to fix.

More:

• "Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of March 11, 2011: Posts"