The operator of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant announced on Thursday that it intends to conduct a trial removal of highly radioactive detritus next week, following the suspension of a previous attempt.
Approximately 880 tons of extremely hazardous material remain within Fukushima-Daiichi, which was struck by an earthquake and tsunami thirteen years ago in one of the most severe nuclear catastrophes in history.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) was compelled to suspend a removal procedure late last month due to a technical issue that occurred during the installation of the requisite equipment.
“It will take several days for us to prepare for a resumption… and we will be able to resume next week if all goes well as scheduled,” a spokesperson for Tepco informed reporters.
On March 11, 2011, a tsunami struck Fukushima-Daiichi, causing the cooling systems to collapse and the reactors to melt down. This event was the most catastrophic nuclear catastrophe since Chernobyl. Three of the six reactors were operational at the time.
Fuel and other materials were melted and subsequently solidified into highly radioactive “fuel debris” in three units of the Fukushima facility.
The objective of the new operation is to extract a sample of the debris and analyze it in order to determine the subsequent stages.
As part of the eradication process, Tepco deployed two mini-drones and a “snake-shaped robot” inside in February.
Tepco was compelled to create specialized robots that could operate within the detritus due to its elevated radiation levels.
Tepco initiated the release of 540 Olympic swimming pools’ worth of water into the Pacific Ocean last year to chill the affected reactors.
However, the most formidable obstacle in the decades-long endeavor to decommission the plant has been the removal of the debris.
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