Tokyo Electric Power Co. started Tuesday pumping highly radioactive water at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant's reactor 2 turbine building into a nearby storage facility, a crucial step toward restoring the reactor's dedicated cooling system, the government nuclear watchdog said.
Because key equipment to activate the cooling system is located in the basement of the turbine building, workers can resume efforts to restore the cooling system once the radioactive water is pumped out.
"We believe there is no other option but to transfer the radioactive water to the storage facility," said Hidehiko Nishiyama, spokesman for the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.