TOKYO: Three-metre tsunami waves were recorded at, but did not damage, an offline nuclear plant in Japan following the Jan 1 earthquake, its operator said on Wednesday (Jan 10).
The revelation served as a reminder of the risks associated with nuclear power in Japan 13 years after a tsunami wrecked the Fukushima facility in one of the world’s worst atomic disasters.
The 7.5-magnitude jolt on New Year’s Day and its powerful aftershocks killed at least 203 people in the central Ishikawa region, flattening houses, wrecking infrastructure and leaving thousands without power.
A tsunami as high as one metre was registered near the Shika plant, which has been offline since 2011, shortly after 4.30pm (3.30pm, Singapore time) on Jan 1, roughly 20 minutes after the original quake, Hokuriku Electric Power said.
“Our analysis has indicated that waves as high as three metres came around 5.45pm,” a spokesman for the utility told AFP.