Japan is getting ready to commemorate the 13th anniversary of its most destroying nuclear incident. The person who is leading the cleanup operation said his team is working hard to retrieve a sample from the core of the radioactive debris at the site.
The cleanup project at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which has been ongoing for many years, is now gearing up to extract the damaged fuel debris from the reactors. However, there is still much unknown about the contents inside the reactors.
Extracting Melted Nuclear Fuel at Fukushima
OTSUCHI, JAPAN - MARCH 14: In this handout images provided by the International Federation of Red Cross Japan, A general view is seen of what is left of the city after a tsunami wiped away the gas station which caused a fire and burnt down the whole town, after an 9.0 magnitude strong earthquake struck on March 11, off the coast of north-eastern Japan, March 14, 2011 in Otsuchi, Japan. (Photo : Toshiharu Kato/Japanese Red Cross/IFRC via Getty Images)
The head of decommissioning for Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), selected the pressing need for getting an amount of melted fuel from inside the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant. Ono likened this project to breaking into a heavily fortified area in the intricate process of decommissioning, recognizing the difficulties involved in addressing this particular problem.
The Fukushima Daiichi plant experienced an unprecedented magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, leading to the meltdown of three nuclear power plants and the emission of radiation, which compelled thousands of residents to evacuate their homes. Some regions close to the plant were rendered uninhabitable by the aftermath.
There are around 880 tons of highly radioactive melted nuclear fuel currently inside the damaged power plants, posing an enormous opposition for TEPCO. Insufficient details regarding the state and whereabouts of the melted fuel are impeding the development of a secure extraction strategy, according to Ono.
Struggles remain in retrieving a small amount of melted debris from the No. 2 reactor, which sustained the least damage, using a robotic arm. TEPCO plans to use a device similar to a fishing rod to collect a sample before enhancing the robotic arm. In the previous month, the plant carried out its inaugural drone flight into reactor No. 1, which was severely affected, to examine the melted debris. However, the operation encountered challenges due to a malfunctioning secondary robot responsible for data transmission, according to Star Advertiser.
Critics argue that the 30- to 40-year cleanup target set by the government and TEPCO is overly optimistic, considering the challenges posed by the lack of data, technology, and concrete plans for managing the radioactive melted fuel and other nuclear waste.
Regardless of the obstacles, TEPCO remains committed to tackling the problems over time. In August of last year, the plant started releasing treated water into the ocean, an important move based on Ono. Recovering a sample from the No. 2 reactor would signify an important step in the decommissioning process.
While TEPCO works on the cleanup, Fukushima Daiichi is currently releasing a fourth 7,800-ton batch of water into the sea. Daily seawater sampling results have met safety standards, but the controversial plan has faced protests from local fishers and neighboring countries, especially China, which has imposed a ban on Japanese seafood imports.
TEPCO has successfully removed spent fuel rods from the No. 4 reactor pool in 2014 and the No. 3 reactor pool in 2021. The goal is to finish removing rods from the No. 1 and No. 2 pools by 2031. The process of decommissioning continues to be complex, with every stage bringing fresh obstacles as well as perspectives for the team, Fox News reported.
