Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Operator Demonstrates Remote-Controlled Robot to Retrieve Melted Fuel Debris

In Japan, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was badly damaged in 2011. The company that runs the plant showed how a robot will collect bits of melted fuel from one of the damaged reactors. This is the first time since the meltdown. The plan is to use a special robot to remove debris from the reactor by October. This work is more than two years late. The cleanup was supposed to start in late 2021 but faced delays because of the huge earthquake and tsunami in 2011. During a demonstration in western Japan, a robot with tongs picked up a small piece of debris from the reactor. The company wants to remove less than 3 grams of debris in the test. This is a crucial step for the future cleanup work. There are still about 880 tons of melted nuclear fuel inside the damaged reactors. Critics think the government and the company are too optimistic about finishing the cleanup in 30 to 40 years. Each damaged reactor needs a different plan for cleanup. Understanding the melted fuel inside the reactors is important for safely shutting them down. The company also sent mini drones to help with the cleanup.