福島ふくしま第だい一いち原発げんぱつ 核かく燃料ねんりょうデブリの本格ほんかく取とり出だし 2030にせんさんじゅう年代ねんだい後半こうはん以降いこうに

As a result of Tokyo Electric Power Company’s detailed study of specific methods for the full-scale removal of the melted nuclear fuel debris from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, it has been learned through interviews with those involved that the necessary preparations are expected to take about 12 to 15 years.

According to the current schedule, the start of full-scale retrieval, which had been set for the early 2030s, will be pushed back to the late 2030s or later.

At the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, it is estimated that there are a total of 880 tons of nuclear fuel debris—a mixture of melted nuclear fuel and surrounding structural materials from the accident—in Units 1 through 3. The full-scale removal of this debris is considered the biggest challenge in the decommissioning process.

According to the timetable set by the government and TEPCO, full-scale retrieval at Unit 3 is scheduled to begin in the early 2030s. However, interviews with related parties have revealed that, as a result of TEPCOs examination of specific construction methods, they have concluded that the necessary preparations will take about 12 to 15 more years.

As a result, the full-scale retrieval will be delayed until the late 2030s or later.

Specifically, they are considering a plan to insert equipment from the upper part of the No. 3 reactor building, crush the nuclear fuel debris inside the reactor and containment vessel, and then retrieve it from the side. It has been found that it will take time to construct new facilities on top of the building and to lower the surrounding radiation levels.

The government and Tokyo Electric Power Company aim to complete the decommissioning by 2051, marking 40 years since the accident, but many of the processes are behind the initial schedule, making the feasibility of this goal uncertain.