Due to the influence of the new mutant virus "Omicron strain", new entry of foreigners was stopped in principle, so a robot engineer who takes out "fuel debris" in the decommissioning work of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station It turned out that the prospect of entry was not clear.
IRID = The International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning has stated that there will be no change in the schedule for removal within the next year.
Taking out "fuel debris", which is a mixture of nuclear fuel and structures that melted down in the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, is considered to be the biggest difficulty in decommissioning, and TEPCO and the government are planning to start from Unit 2 next year.
IRID held a debriefing session in Iwaki City on the 8th, explaining the performance of the robot used to retrieve the "fuel debris" transported from the United Kingdom to Kobe City in July.
The robot to be used has a total length of 22 meters, and after reaching the containment vessel through the through hole of Unit 2, sew the gap of the structure while extending the arm little by little, collect the debris at the bottom, put it in a capsule and take it out. It is an assumption.
However, according to IRID, due to the influence of the new mutant virus "Omicron strain", the government has stopped new entry of foreigners in principle, so engineers who instruct TEPCO employees to work are expected to enter the country from the United Kingdom. It means that it is no longer standing.
IRID is considering remote technical guidance from overseas, so there is no change in the schedule for taking out "fuel debris" during the next fiscal year.
Fumihiro Hosoe, Deputy Director of IRID and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, said, "I would like to devise ways to acquire know-how as much as possible, such as receiving advice remotely."