Fukushima Plant Removes Fuel Debris After Meltdown

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) successfully removed a small amount of melted nuclear fuel debris from the No. 2 reactor at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant, marking the first such retrieval since the 2011 disaster. The operation utilized a robotic arm and is a significant step in the complex decommissioning process, with an estimated 880 tons of debris still remaining in the three affected reactors. The retrieved sample, weighing less than 3 grams and measuring about 5 millimeters, will be analyzed to understand its composition and radioactivity. TEPCO reported that the radiation level of the debris was within safe handling limits, measuring approximately 0.2 millisieverts per hour, well below the maximum of 24 millisieverts allowed for workers. This milestone follows prior delays in the retrieval process due to technical issues and aims to inform future debris removal techniques. TEPCO plans to transport the sample to the Japan Atomic Energy Agency for further examination.