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Plant is Commissioned
This is the official opening of the plant, commissioned by GE, Hitachi and Toshiba -
Period: to
Fukushima Daiichi
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Nuclear Reaction Disaster
Nuclear rods fall into the core without being placed, causing a nuclear reaction. It took around 8 hours to put the rods back in place -
High Pressure problem
The reactor was shut down manually for a while because pressure in the turbine area grew too high. -
THE HUGE DISASTER - Preventable?
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) submits a report to Japan's nuclear safety agency which predicts the possibility of a tsunami up to 10.2 meters high at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in the event of an earthquake similar to the magnitude 7.2 earthquake with accompanying tsunami that devastated the area in 1896. TEPCO actually made this prediction in 2008 but delayed in submitting the report because they "did not feel the need to take prompt action on the estimates". -
The Actual Disaster
An earthquake categorized as 9.0 occurred off the coast of Japan, one of the most powerful earthquakes in history. Reactors 1-3 were shut down automatically after the earthquake, and the remaining decay heat of the fuel was being cooled with power from emergency generators. The subsequent destructive tsunami with waves of up to 14 meters that over-topped the station, which had seawalls, disabled emergency generators required to cool the reactors and Spent fuel pools in Units 1-5. -
EXPLOSION!!!!
There is a massive explosion due to excess hydrogen gas mixing with steam. 3 fuel rods are left open and salt water injection is started. -
Day 3...
Unit 1 begins to cool off as the salt water injection does its job. Reactor 3 core begins to melt -
Day 4...
Reactor 3 spontaneously explodes due to hydrogen gas, injuring 6 workers. Reactor 2 now is affected by the rising water levels within the cores. Reactor 2 cores being to start melting. -
Day 5...
Last set of explosions occur as reactor 3 explodes once more and reactor 2 explodes too. Fuel in reactor cores begins to melt the concrete and cools the cores -
Electricity Returned
Electricity is returned to the power plant and regular cooling begins. It is officially announced that the plant will be shut down for good after cleanup -
Reactors officially stabilized
All reactors declared to be stable as the fuel made is very very low power. -
Reversing the damage
They begin to build a wall to prevent further radioactivity from leaking into the Pacific Ocean. Groundwater pumps were built -
Wall Completed
The wall to prevent further radiation is completed and the reactors are shut off from the ocean.