Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO), operator of Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, is seeking help from France to tackle the "critical" situation, Industry Minister Eric Besson said Monday.

"TEPCO, for the first time, I'm pleased to say … has asked for help from French industrial concerns," the minister told RTL radio, specifying French energy giant EDF, nuclear group Areva and CEA, the atomic energy commission.

Besson said the current situation at Fukushima, where highly radioactive water has leaked from a reactor turbine building following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, was "extremely critical".

The water, found in an underground tunnel linked to the number two reactor at the Fukushima plant, showed a radiation reading of more than 1,000 millisieverts per hour, a TEPCO official told reporters in Japan.

A dose that strong can cause temporary radiation sickness with nausea and vomiting for people who are exposed.

The massive earthquake and tsunami knocked out the cooling systems of the plant's six reactors, triggering explosions and fires, releasing radiation and sparking global fears of a widening disaster.

Plutonium has been detected in soil at the stricken nuclear plant.

Besson said later in the day that TEPCO had asked France "to find a certain number of specialists in treating radioactive water, contaminated water."

He said Areva would send two specialists in the recuperation and treatment of radioactive water.

"We are ready to send as many experts as necessary to support them in the difficult situation in which they find themselves," added Besson.

Areva told AFP they have had "numerous exchanges with TEPCO to provide necessary expertise."

EDF, which manages France's 58 nuclear reactors, announced on March 18 that the three groups were set to send Japan 130 tonnes of specialised equipment, including robots able to intervene in the case of a nuclear accident.

However a spokesman for Besson said TEPCO's latest request was a separate issue.

The number of people confirmed dead or listed as missing following the 9.0 magnitude quake and monster wave climbed above 28,000 on Monday, with 10,901 confirmed dead.

earlier related report

Quake-prone Algeria says nuclear power inevitable
Algiers (AFP) March 28, 2011 –

Quake-prone Algeria said Monday that there was no alternative to nuclear power for its long-term energy needs, at a time when many countries are reassessing their stance in the wake of Japan's nuclear emergency.

"We don't have any other alternative," Algerian Energy and Mines Minister Youcef Yousfi told the national assembly during a briefing on the energy sector.

The minister, who was quoted by the state news agency APS, said Algeria "must prepare itself for this choice", noting that 10 to 15 years of studies would be needed before construction of its first nuclear power station.

Japan's March 11 9.0-magnitude quake and tsunami, which has left at least 10,901 dead and 17,649 missing, also severely damaged its Fukushima nuclear plant northeast of Tokyo

Radiation from the plant has wafted into the air, contaminating farm produce and drinking water as well as seeping into the Pacific Ocean, although officials stress there is no imminent health threat.

Japan's nuclear emergency has prompted several countries to either order safety reviews, reassess their reliance on nuclear energy or in some cases shut down some of their aging facilities.

Algeria has set a 2020 target date for construction of its first nuclear power plant, after which it plans to build a new station every five years.

The country regularly experiences earthquakes, some of them major, including one of magnitude 6.8 which killed more than 2,000 people east of Algiers in May 2003, and another of 7.3 at El Asnam in October 1980 with a death toll of around 3,500.

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