A technical issue stymied efforts to remove a fragment of melted fuel from Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant using an extendable robot on Thursday. This operation aimed to collect a small debris sample from inside Unit 2's containment vessel, marking the start of the most challenging phase in decommissioning the plant, which was devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. The effort was halted when workers discovered that five pipes, which are needed to push the robot into and pull it out of the vessel, were incorrectly assembled and couldn't be corrected within their radiation exposure time limit, according to plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO).
The robot was designed to extend 22 meters to reach and collect a fragment from the melted fuel mound using tongs. However, the mission, which was to last two weeks, has been delayed indefinitely, with no new start date announced. TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa emphasized that safety is the primary concern, rather than rushing the procedure, and committed to investigating the pipe setup issue. Despite the minor goal of retrieving less than three grams of debris, the mission is pivotal for gathering data to develop future decommissioning methods and technologies.
The recovery of this tiny sample, though insignificant in quantity compared to the 880 tons that need to be dealt with, is crucial for understanding the melted fuel debris. The Japanese government and TEPCO maintain a 30-40-year cleanup target set post-meltdown, despite skepticism regarding its feasibility. Comprehensive plans for the removal and storage of the melted fuel debris remain undecided. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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