Conflicts

Entirely cleaning up three of the six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, which melted after the tsunami of March 11, 2011, is a colossal task that is far from over, even 12 years after the disaster...

The operator of the Fukushima plant is not at the end of its troubles: operations to extract the melted fuel began in 2021, but the operation remains particularly delicate and the techniques for carrying it out are not fully developed.

Given the lethal levels of radioactivity in the three reactors concerned, this task, which will take years, has been entrusted to remote-controlled robots.

This intervention, consisting of retrieving the melted nuclear fuel mixed with debris from the pressure vessel and the bottom of the building, is a world first.

Cleaning up the Fukushima Daiichi plant is expected to take at least another three decades.

As a reminder, after the tsunami, the first stage consisted of shutting down the reactors and preventing further radioactive emissions by pouring water onto the facilities.

The second, which consists of removing the fuel present in the reactor pools, will last another 10 years. In February 2021, the recovery of approximately two thirds of the spent fuel rods from the damaged reactors was completed using robots.

The third phase involves removing the debris. This long and delicate operation, which will take place in reactors 1, 2 and 3, has been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

On site, 4,000 to 5,000 people work on a daily basis, many without protection, thanks to the efforts to decontaminate the site, but this is not the case in a key section, the ALPS facility, an American innovation specially created in Fukushima that filters contaminated water.

The treated water was discharged into the sea, which worries local fishermen and farmers.

Since the disaster, Japan has changed its safety standards for its nuclear power plants and is now sharing its experience with the international community.

(MH with LpR /Picture: The Digital Artist (AI) via Pixabay)