TEPCO Reconnects Power To Stricken Nuclear Plant

Tokyo, March 18, 2011: Tokyo Electric Power Co., said on Friday it had succeeded in connecting an external transmission line with the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant and confirmed that electricity can be supplied.

In a statement, the company said it "planned to supply Unit 2 first, followed by Unit 1, Unit 3 and Unit 4 ... because Unit 2 is expected to be less damaged."

Fire engines also sprayed water overnight on a reactor deemed to be in the most critical state at the plant in northeastern Japan, 150 miles north of Tokyo.

The U.N. atomic agency said that conditions at the nuclear complex were still grave but not deteriorating as badly.