This was always going to work

Fukushima operator struggles to build ice wall to contain radioactive water

AFP

Tuesday 17 June 2014 06.01 EDT

“We have yet to form the ice stopper because we can’t make the temperature low enough to freeze water,” a Tepco spokesman said.

…

The coolant being used in the operation is an aqueous solution of calcium chloride, which is cooled to -30C (-22F).

…

Coping with the huge – and growing – amount of water at the tsunami-damaged plant is proving to be one of the biggest challenges for Tepco, as it tries to clean up the mess after the worst nuclear disaster in a generation, in which three reactors went into meltdown.

As well as all the water used to keep broken reactors cool, the utility must also deal with water that makes its way along subterranean watercourses from mountainsides to the sea.