Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has launched its second major attempt to extract radioactive fuel debris from the wrecked Fukushima Daiichi Reactor Unit 2, marking another critical step in the plant's decades-long decommissioning process. 🏭⚡ The 12-day operation, which began May 15, aims to carefully remove melted nuclear material—a toxic legacy of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.
If successful, the debris will be transported to a research facility in Ibaraki Prefecture for analysis. This follows TEPCO's first trial in November 2024, which finally moved melted fuel beyond the reactor's containment vessel after 13 years of technical hurdles. 💡
Why This Matters
Back in 2011, a magnitude-9.0 earthquake triggered a tsunami that crippled Fukushima's cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt down. Around 880 tons of solidified fuel debris—nicknamed 'corium'—remain trapped inside. Removing it is like defusing a radioactive time bomb, requiring robotic precision and global expertise. 🤖☢️
While progress is slow (full decommissioning could take until 2051!), each milestone brings hope to affected communities and insights for future nuclear safety. 🌱🗾
