U.S. Engineering Firms Assist TEPCO With Cleanup Program
As Tokyo Electric Power Co. on April 17 released its plans to bring its Fukushiyma Daiichi reactors under control and protect the area from radiation, U.S. engineering and construction companies are working with Japanese partners to help TEPCO deal with the immediate problems and craft a long-term solution for the damaged plant.
TEPCO's nine-month plan sets goals: to maintain the cooling of the reactors, install storage and decontamination facilities, remove debris, install a concrete cover over the damaged reactors and solidify the contaminated soil. San Francisco-based Bechtel, Charlotte, N.C.-based Babcock & Wilcox, and Baton Rouge, La.-based The Shaw Group, all with nuclear cleanup experience, have been consulting with their partners and TEPCO since March 11.