TEPCO to Remove Fukushima Nuclear Debris for 2nd Time; Sample to be Taken from Different Spot in No. 2 Reactor

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, March 20, 2025

Nuclear fuel debris will be removed from the No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in a trial operation for the second time as early as mid-April, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. announced Wednesday.

Sample debris will be collected from a location other than that of the first trial operation last year to gain knowledge that will be useful in selecting a method for larger-scale removal in the future.

TEPCO said it wants to collect up to 3 grams of debris in the next retrieval. As with the first time, a retrieval device resembling a fishing rod that can extend up to 22 meters will be inserted from the side of the reactor, and a claw-like gripper hanging down from a cable will pick up debris at the bottom of the reactor containment vessel.

Debris this time will be collected near the center of the containment vessel, which is about 1 to 2 meters away from the first collection point. The company will compare its composition, hardness and other factors to grasp the conditions inside the reactor, such as debris distribution. However, debris might be collected from the same location as last time depending on the situation inside the reactor.

The core meltdown accident in 2011 generated a total of about 800 tons of debris in the Nos. 1 to 3 reactors as molten nuclear fuel mixed with structures inside the reactors. Removal of the debris is deemed the toughest task of the decommissioning process to be done by 2051 the deadline set by the government and TEPCO.