Newsfrom Japan

Tokyo, Aug. 8 (Jiji Press)--A Japanese government-backed organization in charge of supporting the decommissioning of nuclear plants is considering proposing starting the removal of melted nuclear fuel debris from the No. 2 reactor among three heavily damaged reactors at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s <9501> Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant, officials said Thursday.

Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corp., or NDF, believes that the No. 2 reactor is the most suitable for melted fuel removal work to be conducted based on the results of its investigation into radiation levels at the reactors and the conditions inside them.

In January 2018, TEPCO confirmed deposits of melted nuclear fuel debris inside the No. 2 reactor containment vessel of the plant in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima that was damaged in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

In February this year, the company made physical contact with the deposits by using equipment, making much more progress in investigating the No. 2 reactor than the No. 1 and No. 3 reactors.

TEPCO plans to carry out an additional investigation into the inside of the No. 2 reactor by the end of March next year, aiming to collect sample debris.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]