GE to assist Japan on nuclear problems

General Electric is ready to assist Japan in tackling nuclear crisis, following three explosions at Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

GE spokesman James Healy told the Wall Street Journal that the firm has kept engineers on standby in a Wilmington, North Carolina command centre to provide assistance to Japanese engineers trying to keep the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi under control in case its help is sought.

GE supplied reactor No. 1 at the Fukushima plant 40 years ago, which is situated 240km from Tokyo.

GE has defended the design of the reactor, which saw an explosion on the 12 March 2011, saying its containment system is safe and reliable.

The Fukushima-Daiichi's unit 1 is fitted with a GE boiling water reactor with a Mark 1 containment system.