Nuclear cleaning: under water and at a distance, they take radioactive fuel at the Fukushima factory – 15/04/2019

The owner of the Japanese nuclear power plant Fukushima started Monday remove the radioactive fuel for the first time of 1 of the 3 reactors severely damaged by the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.

These tasks, which will last about two years, represent another step towards the dismantling of the factory.

Clarin Bulletins

What happened today? We tell you the most important news of the day and what will happen tomorrow when you get up

Monday to Friday afternoon.

The operation is performed remotely and under water to prevent radioactive leaks, according to the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), owner of the plant.

That of Fukushima is considered the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

Look also

Work it took more than 4 years due to failures experienced by electronic and robotic devices exposed to extreme radiation levels, mortal for humans.

"We thought we could start at the end of 2014, but there was a lot of waste and we had to act with caution," said a spokeswoman for the company.

In total there is 1,573 fuel rods in the cooling tanks of the 3 damaged reactors.

TEPCO calculated that only 6 of the 566 bars of uranium dioxide and MOX (a mixture of uranium and plutonium oxide) out of 566 would be removed from unit 3. will be transferred to other basins facilities.

The current process is expected to be completed by March 2021, while in the other two units, the plan marks the beginning of 2023.

The images captured by robots also detected remains of molten atomic fuel at the bottom of the containment of reactors 1, 2 and 3. These highly radioactive residues present many more technical difficulties.

The reactors underwent partial mergers of their cores after a power failure during the 2011 natural disaster.

Look also

TEPCO has already completed the removal of fuel stored in Unit 4, where the damage was minor.

Abe and the image

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in the last hours in Fukushima to emphasize renovation and security before the 2020 Olympics.

In fact, the official He was wearing a simple ambo, unlike the full suit with mask that was mandatory to use 5 years ago, during his previous visit.

This time, in addition, it was interpreted as a maneuver of damage control after the resignation of Yoshitaka Sakurada, the minister who oversaw the Games, for a comment on the tasks to be done in the region.

"Our basic policy is that a minister be a minister of reconstruction," Abe said. "We reaffirmed our commitment to work for the resuscitation of Fukushima and northeastern Japan."

The Prime Minister also visited a football center (J-Village) where workers temporarily managed the 2011 crash, which provoked the evacuation of some 160,000 people.

A few days ago, locals began to return to Okuma, a town located near the factory.

Look also

The government (which accepted in 2018 that a Fukushima worker died of cancer following an exhibition for more than 28 years) undertook decontamination tasks to reduce radiation levels in the community. region. TEPCO believes that the entire process will take between 30 and 40 years.

sources: EFE, AFP, The New York Times.

AEZ