Cooling efforts ongoing at Japan reactors

TOKYO, June 27 (UPI) -- Decontaminated water is being pumped into Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear plant in what operators say is "a giant step forward" in bringing it under control.

About 110,000 tons of radioactively contaminated water have built up during the efforts to cool reactors damaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the BBC reported Monday.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said about 1,850 tons of that radioactive water had been recycled and decontaminated so far.

Of the 16 tons of water being pumped every hour into the facility's damaged reactors, Tepco said, 13 tons would be the decontaminated water.

"This is critical in two aspects," said Goshi Hosono, an adviser to Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

"First, the system will solve the problem of contaminated water, which gave all sorts of worries to the world. Second, it will enable stable cooling of reactors."

The cooling efforts would allow the company meet its target of bringing the plant to a "cold shutdown" status by January, Tepco said.