Tokyo, Japan (AHN) – Thousands of people living near a nuclear power plant in the Japanese prefecture of Fukushima have been told to evacuate following an 8.9 magnitude earthquake off the northern coast of the country. The move is a precautionary measure after the Tokyo Electric Power Co. reactor experienced a reactor cooling malfunction.
Some 2,000 residents living within 1.2 miles of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi No. 1 reactor were ordered to evacuate, said Ryohei Shiomi, spokesman at the Emergency Information Center of the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency. Others farther away have been told to stay indoors.
Other nuclear power plants and oil refineries have also been shut down.
There were reports of more than 40 major fires across Japan. The Cosmo Oil Co.’s refinery is ablaze and firefighters are continuing to battle that fire. Aerial footage show flames jumping hundreds of feet into the air.
Millions of people are now without electricity as utility officials shut down 11 nuclear power reactors. The power loss amounts to about 20 percent of Japan’s 4.6 million barrels a day refining capacity and about 20 percent, or 12 gigawatts, of Japan’s total installed nuclear capacity, according to analysts.
As a result of the damage and shutdowns, oil won’t be refined in the affected areas for some time and will have to be sent to other places to be processed.
Experts say this oil on the market should increase supply and bring down costs. Japan is the world’s third largest economy and one of the top oil producers.
Radiation has not been reported to be leaking from the reactors.
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