- Thirteen years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident occurred, it remains an important issue for Japan’s decontamination efforts.
- Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings aims to collect samples of molten fuel from inside the reactor to understand its condition.
- Damage from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami caused three nuclear reactors to melt down, and radiation concerns continue.
As Japan prepares to mark the 13th anniversary of the worst nuclear disaster in history, the man in charge of its cleanup says his team is scrambling to remove samples from the heart of the site’s radioactive rubble. Ta.
The decades-long project to remove the remains of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant is gearing up to remove damaged fuel debris from the reactor, but what’s inside remains a mystery. There are many.
Akira Ono, head of decommissioning for Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the key to solving the mystery and finding a way to clean it up is through samples of melted fuel from inside the reactor. He said there is.
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Obtaining that sample, Ono said, would be like breaking through the “main enclosure of a castle” in the battle for decommissioning. “We have achieved a lot, but we still have a lot of thinking to do if we are to tackle the unprecedented challenge of removing melted fuel.”
On February 28, 2024, debris is seen inside the reactor during a drone survey of the most damaged reactor at the severely damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Okuma Town, Tohoku region. (TEPCO via AP)
The magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011 damaged the cooling system at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing three reactors to melt down, releasing radiation and forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes. Ta. Some areas near the nuclear power plant are still uninhabitable.
Approximately 880 tons of highly radioactive molten nuclear fuel remains inside the three damaged reactors, but no one knows what condition the molten fuel is in or exactly where it fell inside the reactors. I don’t know either. That data is critical to developing a plan for safe removal, Ono said.
Ever since a robotic rover first inspected the intact interior of the No. 2 reactor in 2019, TEPCO has been trying to use a robotic arm to remove small amounts of molten debris from the reactor. That effort has been delayed for more than two years as teams consider how to get the robots over the wreckage. The team’s next attempt will take place in October and will use a device similar to a previously tested fishing rod to collect preliminary samples, pending technical improvements to the robotic arm, Ono said. Told.
Last month, the nuclear power plant flew a drone for the first time over reactor No. 1, the worst-hit reactor, to investigate melted debris, but the second day of exploration was halted after an assisting robot assisting with data transmission malfunctioned. I had to.
“We are not used to these things, and sometimes we encounter unexpected accidents on site. However, they are all valuable lessons learned for our next steps,” said Ono. he said.
Critics say the 30-40 year cleanup goals set by the government and TEPCO are too optimistic.
What will happen to the factory complex and its surroundings when cleanup is finished, due to a lack of data, technology and planning on what to do with the molten fuel and other nuclear waste containing deadly radioactive materials. It has become difficult to have a clear outlook on what will happen.
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Ono said the utility’s role is to do its best to safely tackle challenges one at a time.
Last August, the plant began discharging treated water into the ocean, which Ono said was a major step forward. If the next attempt to recover samples from reactor No. 2 is successful, it would be a “huge step” and a “major step change,” he said.
Fukushima Daiichi is currently releasing 7,800 tons of water for the fourth time. So far, daily seawater sampling results have met safety standards, but the controversial plan has prompted protests from local fishermen and neighboring countries, especially China, which has banned imports of Japanese seafood. facing.
TEPCO completed the removal of all spent fuel rods from the Unit 4 cooling pool in 2014 and from the Unit 3 pool in 2021. Removal of spent fuel rods from the pools of Units 1 and 2 is planned to be completed by 2031.
