TOKYO, 7th November, 2024 (WAM) -- The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power complex said Thursday it successfully retrieved a small amount of melted fuel from the No. 2 reactor damaged in the massive earthquake and tsunami disaster that struck northeastern Japan in March 2011.
According to Kyodo News, it is the first time Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has removed melted fuel from one of the reactors at the Fukushima plant, a task viewed as the largest hurdle in the decades-long process of decommissioning the complex.
The operator said it collected an amount of melted fuel with a gripper on the tip of a telescopic device.
An estimated 880 tons of fuel debris remain in the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 reactors, which experienced core meltdowns during the nuclear crisis.
TEPCO planned to extract debris measuring 5 millimeters and weighing 3 grams or less.