While the nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant continues, the plant owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) faces estimates of at least $12 billion to safely close and decommission the facility. Adding to TEPCO's damaged image is the information that their disaster readiness plan was woefully inadequate.
The latest information from the International Atomic Energy Agency indicates that very high levels of radioactivity are being found many kilometers from the plant, and that uncontrolled chain reactions may be occurring in Building 1. It's hard to imagine a worse scenario: failed nuclear facility on the shores of the Pacific, nuclear fuel burning and sending radioactivity into the atmosphere and sea. We can only hope that the heroic efforts of the plant staff and firefighters stem the tide.
