Workers at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have successfully removed a small amount of melted fuel from one of the reactors damaged during the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing cleanup efforts.
The debris, weighing less than three grams, was found in the No. 2 reactor and was described as being about the size of a pebble.
While the removal is a small step, it is part of the long-term process to decommission the site, which has been underway for more than a decade. The cleanup still has a long way to go, with about 880 tons of fuel debris left to be removed from reactors No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.
Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi stated that this progress suggests Japan is approaching the phase of full-scale decommissioning.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) confirmed the radioactive material was placed in a container and sealed for transportation to a research facility for further analysis.
The effort to retrieve the debris began two months ago, though it was delayed when a robotic arm’s camera malfunctioned. After the camera was replaced, TEPCO resumed operations, marking a hopeful development in the plant’s decommissioning process.
Peoplesmind
