Japan resumes trial to extract nuclear fuel debris from Fukushima plant

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) - Japan has resumed a trial operation to extract nuclear fuel debris from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant, for the first time since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.

The trial, which aims to extract a small amount of the highly radioactive material, was paused last month when the operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings or TEPCO, encountered problems during the retrieval process.

The operator had faced an issue in the installation of the robotic removal device -- a telescopic device equipped with a gripper tool.

After confirming that the devices are now correctly installed, the TEPCO “passed the device through an isolation valve, intended to block radioactive material, in the morning (of Tuesday),” the Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

The device extends up to 22 meters (72 feet) and the operator is aiming to collect less than 3 grams of debris which can take the device at least two weeks to reach its target.

There are estimated 880 tons of fuel debris remaining in the Nos. 1, 2, and 3 reactors of the crippled nuclear plant.

The Fukushima nuclear plant was damaged when a magnitude 9 earthquake, followed by a tsunami, struck Japan in 2011.

Last month also marked one year since Japan began releasing treated nuclear water from the Fukushima plant.