Reactor leak undetected for months

Reactor leak undetected for months

JAPAN: A radioactive water leak detected last week at a nuclear plant in central Japan -- the second glitch found there this month -- may have started as early as July and gone unnoticed, a company official said on Thursday.

Analysis of operational data at Chubu Electric Power Co.'s plant in Hamaoka, 200 kilometers southwest of Tokyo, revealed that an increase in the level of radioactive water in part of the reactor starting around July may have been caused by the leak, said Chubu spokesman Shigehisa Osawa.

Officials had earlier attributed the increase in water levels to high summer temperatures, said Osawa. He said uranium fuel would be removed from the plant to allow inspectors to further investigate the cause.

It was the first time the company speculated on how long the mechanical problem may have existed. --AP