MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2022) Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, is considering a new method to remove radioactive fuel debris from the plant, which was destroyed in 2011 after a massive earthquake, Japanese news agency Kyodo said on Friday, citing a source.
The new method, which is currently expected to be applied to the third reactor, involves building a strong, pressure-resistant structure around the reactor that will then be filled with water, while the removal work would take place from the top, the source said.
This method uses water's ability to interrupt radiation and thereby provide a safer working environment, the source noted, adding that it could "require advanced technology to stop water leaking out and become a huge construction project."
If the method is approved, the process from construction to actual removal of debris will be lengthy and likely to affect total costs, which have already reached $57.45 billion, the news agency said.
This method is expected to be included in the 2022 strategic plan that will be compiled by the state-backed Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation.
At the same time, the cleaning of the second reactor from debris is planned to be carried out by a dry method. The work was expected to start on August 25 but was postponed by the government for 12-18 months to ensure safety. The government and the power company are operating under a plan to complete debris removal and finish decommissioning work sometime between 2041 and 2051, the news agency said.
The nuclear disaster at Fukushima occurred on March 11, 2011, when the plant was heavily damaged in a magnitude 9 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean. It triggered a massive tsunami that hit the plant and caused three nuclear reactors to melt down. The accident is regarded as the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl accident, resulting in large-scale contamination of local soil and water.
