ONAGAWA, Japan — The Japanese operator of the nuclear power plant devastated in last year’s disasters received a 1 trillion yen ($12.8 billion) bailout Tuesday, putting it under government ownership, while international experts visited another plant that survived the tsunami’s impact.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. apologized for the “inconvenience and anxiety” caused by the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in northeastern Japan, and for raising electricity charges to cover the costs of dealing with the crisis.
The company faces massive compensation demands from those forced to evacuate and whose land and products were contaminated by radiation leaks following the crisis that began March 11 last year when Japan’s northeast was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami.
TEPCO must also shoulder the enormous costs of decommissioning three reactors with melted cores and placing nuclear fuel rods from a fourth reactor into safe storage.
Continue reading at Japan Nuclear Disaster Probe: TEPCO Gets $12.8 Billion Crisis Bailout
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