TOKYO — In an embarrassing reversal from its earlier claims, the operator of Japan’s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant said Tuesday that radioactive particles have been detected in groundwater flowing into the plant, an admission that could raise new questions about the company’s ability to handle the plant’s cleanup.
While the level of contamination is very low, its discovery amounts to an admission of error by the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co., which had previously said that no particles had been detected in the water. The reversal is the latest in a string of mistakes and minor mishaps at the plant.
The discovery could also create additional problems for the utility by jeopardizing its plans for alleviating a growing water crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The company has been struggling to slow groundwater that has been flowing into the basements of the damaged reactor buildings at a rate of 100,000 gallons per day, threatening the makeshift system that cools the crippled reactors. The water, which becomes highly contaminated once it comes in contact with the reactor buildings, must then be stored in huge metal tanks, which have filled every available space at the plant.