Leaking water storage tanks at disaster-hit nuclear plant ‘hastily built’

The latest leak was found over the weekend in a connecting pipe. The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco), said it suspects there may also have been leaks from three storage tanks, because high radioactivity was detected near them. The levels were not considered deadly.

Nuclear Regulation Authority chairman Shunichi Tanaka said the small leak and possible other leaks have added to concerns about the plant’s stability.

They follow a major leak two weeks ago. Tepco reported a loss of 300 tons of radiation-contaminated water from a steel tank on August 19, saying most of it is believed to have seeped underground but some might have escaped into the sea. The company has yet to determine the cause.

Mr Tanaka said he believed the discoveries of the subsequent leak and signs of possible leaks were the result of closer inspections after the leak two weeks ago. That leak was the worst from a tank at the plant, where three reactors melted down following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Mr Tanaka also raised concerns about the safety of the foundations of the tank sites.