Japan to begin trial removal of nuclear debris from Fukushima reactor
The Peninsula
Tokyo: The operator of Japan s stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant said Monday it will send a probe inside a battered reactor this week for a trial...
Tokyo: The operator of Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant said Monday it will send a probe inside a battered reactor this week for a trial removal of radioactive debris.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) aims to retrieve a tiny sample of the estimated 880 tons of radioactive debris that is believed to sit inside reactors at the tsunami-hit nuclear plant.
The sample will be studied for clues about the condition of the inside of the reactors and their hazardous contents, a crucial step towards decommissioning the plant.
"We will proceed carefully by putting safety as our highest priority," a Tepco official told a news conference Monday.
The debris has radiation levels so high that Tepco has had to develop specialised robots that can withstand them to function inside.
