At TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, work is continuing toward decommissioning.
For the full-scale removal of melted-down nuclear fuel, so-called "fuel debris," which is considered to be the biggest difficulty, research using robots and sampling as samples are planned.
At the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the meltdown nuclear fuel and surrounding metal structures were mixed under the reactors of Units 1 to 3 that caused the "meltdown" and the containment vessel that covers the reactors. It is believed that "fuel debris" has accumulated.
At Unit 1, we plan to launch a robot from the middle of this month to investigate the deposits that are thought to be inside the containment vessel in order to confirm "fuel debris". It will take about half a year to investigate the thickness and distribution of the deposits. In addition to measuring with ultrasonic waves, we aim to collect as a sample.
At Unit 2, we plan to collect a few grams of fuel debris by the end of the year using a robot arm developed in the United Kingdom, and tests are currently being conducted to confirm the performance of the robot.
TEPCO plans to gradually increase the amount of fuel debris collected in the future toward the removal of fuel debris, which is considered to be the biggest difficulty in decommissioning work. The challenge is how to proceed.