Tepco Begins Extraction of Radioactive Fuel Debris at Fukushima No. 1 Plant

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) has initiated the extraction of radioactive debris from a reactor at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, marking a crucial step in the long-term decommissioning process of the facility. This milestone comes after more than 13 years since the plant was severely damaged by a triple meltdown in March 2011.

The trial removal process, which commenced on Tuesday at approximately 7:20 a.m., follows a previous attempt on August 22 that was halted due to technical complications. The earlier operation had to be suspended when it was discovered that five pipes connected to the debris retrieval device were incorrectly installed.

Despite the seemingly small scale of this initial extraction, it underscores the significant challenges involved in decommissioning the Fukushima plant. The careful and methodical approach taken by Tepco reflects the complexity of handling and removing melted nuclear fuel from the damaged reactors.