Robot Begins High-Stakes Mission to Retrieve Melted Fuel Debris from Fukushima Reactor

In a significant step toward the decommissioning of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant, a long robot entered the damaged Unit 2 reactor on Tuesday. The robot’s mission is to retrieve a small amount of melted fuel debris from the core, marking the first time such material has been sampled since the catastrophic 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

The Fukushima Daiichi plant was heavily damaged in the disaster, causing nuclear fuel to melt in three reactors. This operation is the beginning of a lengthy process to safely remove the 880 tons of radioactive debris that remain within the reactors. The mission will span two weeks, with the robot remotely operated to carefully avoid obstacles inside the reactor’s containment vessel.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) hopes that the samples collected will provide valuable insights into the fuel’s current condition and help develop better strategies for full-scale removal. The operation highlights the challenges that lie ahead as Japan embarks on a decades-long journey to safely decommission the plant.

TEPCO and specialists will continue to work on developing more advanced robots capable of cutting larger chunks of debris for safe storage in the future. With similar operations planned for the more severely damaged Units 1 and 3, this mission is just the beginning of a long, complex process.