Removing nuclear fuel debris from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was left behind after the 2011 accident, is set to begin as early as August 21. This marks 13 years since the nuclear disaster.
According to reports from the Yomiuri Shimbun yesterday, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which operates the Fukushima Daiichi plant, has applied to start using the equipment to remove nuclear fuel debris from August 21. The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) has also issued the final inspection documents for the equipment.
In connection with this, TEPCO has decided to start operations in August and plans to announce a specific schedule on August 19, as reported by Kyodo News.
TEPCO will begin using a fishing rod-like device to remove nuclear fuel debris weighing less than 3 grams from Reactor No. 2. They expect this initial operation to take about two weeks. Following this, they will analyze the composition and hardness of the removed debris to plan the full-scale removal process.
The removal of nuclear fuel debris was initially set to start in 2021 but has faced delays due to equipment issues and other setbacks, pushing the timeline back by nearly three years. The Japanese government aims to decommission the Fukushima plant by around 2051. However, approximately 880 tons of nuclear fuel debris remain in Reactors 1 through 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
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