Fukushima Nuclear Plant's Debris Clearance Delayed until Fiscal Year 2037
The removal of nuclear fuel debris from the No. 3 reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, which suffered a triple meltdown following the March 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami, has been delayed. As a result, the full-scale removal will not start before fiscal 2037, and the decommissioning process of the plant may extend beyond the target year of 2051.
TEPCO and the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corp. announced the new timeline, citing the need for extensive preparation work. This includes radiation reduction measures, demolition of adjacent buildings, and construction of necessary facilities around the reactor. The preparations are expected to take approximately 12 to 15 years.
The initial plan was to begin the removal of nuclear fuel debris in the early 2030s, but this has been pushed back due to the complexity of the task and the need for thorough preparation. Approximately 880 tons of debris, a mixture of melted nuclear fuel and reactor structures, are believed to be in the No. 1 to No. 3 reactors.
Akira Ono, head of TEPCO's in-house company, affirmed the commitment to the decommissioning target of 2051. However, he acknowledged the difficulty of meeting this timeline given the uncertainties and complexities involved in full-scale debris removal and subsequent work phases. Some experts suggest that the entire decommissioning process could exceed a century due to these challenges.
In summary, the new timeline for starting full-scale fuel debris removal at Unit 3 is fiscal 2037 or later after 12-15 years of preparatory work. The implications for the decommissioning completion are significant, as completion by 2051 is still the target but increasingly uncertain and potentially delayed beyond that. The reason for the delay is the extensive preparation needed for radiation reduction, facility construction, and building demolition.
- Despite the initial plan to begin removing nuclear fuel debris in the early 2030s, the need for extensive preparation work has caused a delay, pushing the start of the full-scale removal to fiscal 2037.
- In the health-and-wellness sphere, the delay in removing nuclear fuel debris could have long-term environmental-science implications, potentially causing uncertainties and delays in the decommissioning process of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant beyond the target year of 2051.
