FUKUSHIMAMay 29 (News about Japan) – Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has unveiled a device for the trial disposal of so-called “fuel waste” at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The total amount of ‘fuel waste’ melted in the Fukushima Daiichi reactors amounts to 880 tons in units 1 through 3.
The government and TEPCO initially aimed to remove one gram of debris from a penetration hole in Unit 2’s containment vessel using a robotic arm. However, due to malfunctions with the robot arm, the plan has been postponed for three years in a row.
TEPCO has now unveiled the device intended for debris removal, targeting an October start date.
The device inserts a tube through the penetration hole and lowers a cable, similar to a fishing rod. The plan is to use the device on the end of the cable to grab and retrieve the debris.
The extracted “fuel waste” will be transported to a research facility in Ibaraki Prefecture, where it will be analyzed by the government.
Source: ANN
