Japan slows down nuclear plant clean-up
JAPAN decided to delay for up to five years the removal of thousands of spent fuel rods from nuclear reactors at the ravaged Fukushima plant, the government said yesterday.
The government revised a roadmap for the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station as the operator Tokyo Electric Power was required to increase its safety precautions.
Under the new roadmap, the operator will begin the removal of nuclear fuel at tsunami-hit reactor 1 in fiscal year 2027 or 2028, the government said.
The two-year process at reactor 2 is likely to be delayed by one to three years.
The operator now plans to start the process in fiscal 2024 to 2026.
The plant suffered meltdowns at three of its six reactors after it was hit by a powerful earthquake and ensuing tsunami in March 2011.
Tens of thousands of residents have been unable to return to their homes near the complex due to radiation contamination.
Removing melted fuel from the three reactors poses the most difficult challenge in the decommissioning process.
Tokyo aims to complete the removal of the 4 741 spent fuel rods from all six reactors by March 2032.
The removal work has already been finished at reactor 4.
“It is a very difficult process and it is hard to know what to expect. The most important thing is the safety of the workers and surrounding areas,” Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama told a news conference.
It is expected to take four decades to complete the decommissioning process.