Japan to Restore Plant Power

BBC News reports:

Workers are close to restoring power at a quake-stricken Japanese nuclear power plant, officials say.

Engineers are expected to connect a new power line to four of the six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, north of Tokyo, by the end of Saturday.

The earthquake and tsunami it triggered crippled the plant's cooling systems, raising concerns over radiation leaks.

At least 7,200 people were killed in the disaster on 11 March. About 11,000 more remain missing.

Firefighters have continued to spray water to cool the fuel rods at the Fukushima plant, in a desperate attempt to avert a meltdown.

The storage pools need a constant source of water to cool the rods.

Engineers have now connected a power cable to the outside of the plant.

Further cabling is under way inside to try to restart water pumps in four of the six reactors.

A nuclear safety agency official said: "We are scheduled to restore electricity at number one and two [reactors] today.

"Reactors number five and six also will be powered today. They are scheduled to restore power to number 3 and 4 tomorrow (Sunday)."

Workers are also boring holes in roofs to prevent a potential gas explosion.

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