TEPCO(Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings) has resumed attempts to remove debris from reactor number 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. This reactor was damaged in 2011 due to the earthquake and tsunami, which caused a core meltdown. The melted fuel recovery operation is part of a long and complicated decommissioning plan that could last decades.
Removal of debris from the Fukushima plant
The test extraction was suspended last August after it was discovered that the pipes needed to insert the recovery device were installed incorrectly. After resolving this incident, TEPCO was able to confirm that the pipes were reinstalled correctly and resumed the process on Tuesday. The device, which is 22 meters long, is expected to remove less than 3 grams of radioactive debris in approximately two weeks.
This is the first successful attempt to recover fuel since the disaster, and while it is a small step forward, the task of extracting the remaining 880 tons of material remains a major challenge. The operations are being conducted remotely, and future methods for removing the melted fuel are yet to be determined. have yet to be determined.
The previous incident with the pipes reinforces the technical challenges of the project. TEPCO and contractor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries were responsible for this error, and following an investigation, corrective measures were implemented to prevent further failures at the facility.
A robot will remove melted nuclear fuel from the Japanese reactor. Source: Associated Press
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Source and photo: TEPCO
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