UPDATE: March 19, 2011: This post is now closed.
Updates on the situation at the Fukushima nuclear complex from March 17 -18, 2011. Most of the information is taken from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) website and Al Jazzera news.
1238: Power has now been restored to some parts of the Fukushima plant, reports the BBC's Chris Hogg - though reports suggest the power lines to the cooling systems will only now be switched on on Sunday, after system tests.
1200: Power lines have been connected to the Fukushima nuclear plant's reactor 2 but electricity has not been restored yet, a spokesman for Japan's nuclear safety agency has said according to AFP. "If the power is turned on without checks it may malfunction. They are checking the facility now. If no problem is found at the facility today, the power will resume as early as tomorrow [Sunday]."
0512: Engineers are expected to connect a new power line to four quake-damaged reactors at the Fukushima nuclear plant by the end of the day. Firefighters have continued to spray water in a desperate attempt to avert a meltdown.
0403: Tepco says temperatures have fallen in the spent nuclear fuel pool at reactor 5, reports Kyodo.
0349: The operator of the Fukushima power plant says engineers have bored holes in the roofs of the buildings housing reactors 5 and 6 to avoid a potential gas explosion, reports AFP.
0227: Japan has started using a cooling pump at the Fukushima plant's stricken reactor 5, according to several reports quoting the Japanese government. It is thought to be a diesel-powered pump, rather than a device powered by the still-to-be-reconnected electricity supply.
1950: Statement from the Fukushima station operator (Tepco): "Tepco has connected the external transmission line with the receiving point of the plant and confirmed that electricity can be supplied."
1927: Much has been made of the power cables being laid to restart water pumps that cool the reactors but a worrying report in the LA Times notes that some engineers believe the cooling pumps were irretrievably damaged by the initial hydrogen explosions.
1851: The power company, Tepco, has issued a statement today containing the following: "We would like to make our deep apologies for concern and nuisance about the incident of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station and the leakage of radioactive substances to the people living in the surrounding area of the power station".
1848: Tokyo Electric Power Co, which operates Fukushima Daiichi, says it has now connected an external power line to its stricken plant and would first supply reactor 2 because it is less damaged, Reuters reports. The power is needed to operate the plant's badly-needed cooling systems, which were damaged last Friday.
1735: The operation to douse the overheating fuel rods at Fukushima resumed early on Saturday, AFP says, quoting a Tokyo Fire Department official. Five specially-equipped engines from the department poured seawater for 20 minutes. It's not clear what reactors were involved.
1630: Chile and the US have signed a nuclear energy agreement despite the ongoing situation at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant. Chile is also on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has its share of powerful earthquakes.
Get More Info: Here1609: Japan's nuclear agency says it expects that work to install power cables to Number 1 and 2 reactors at Fukushima should be finished on Saturday, NHK news agency reports. Power cables to reactors 3 and 4 should be installed by Sunday. The electricity is urgently needed to run water pumps to cool the overheated reactors.
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