Status of the Decommissioning Work
What Is the Decommissioning Work
The decommissioning work at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, being carried out based on the “Mid-and-Long-Term Roadmap towards the Decommissioning of TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station,” consists of measures to deal with contaminated water, removal of fuel rod assemblies from spent fuel pools, retrieval of fuel debris, measures to deal with waste materials, and other operations.
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Approach to Decommissioning
- A risk mitigation plan is being implemented with top priority to ensuring safety.
- The decommissioning is being carried out in full transparency, to ensure public understanding.
- The work will undergo continued review, responding to new situations that may arise.
- It will be carried out in cooperation with government and other related agencies.
Main Initiatives
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Contaminated Water Measures
For the sake of stable control of groundwater, multilayer measures are being taken to deal with contaminated water, in line with the three fundamental policies of (1) removing contamination sources, (2) keeping water away from contamination sources, and (3) not allowing contaminated water to leak.
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Removal of Fuel Rod Assemblies
Preparations are being made to remove fuel assemblies from spent fuel pools in the reactor buildings.
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Retrieval of Fuel Debris
Melted fuel in Units 1 to 3 is being cooled stably and kept in cold shutdown state. Surveys are being carried out inside the containment vessels on the way to retrieval of fuel debris, fuel that has melted down inside the reactors.
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Work and Labor Environment
We are working to mitigate risks, including those from radioactive materials, and to improve the labor environment, giving highest priority to ensuring the safety of people in the local communities, workers and employees, and the surrounding environment.
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Research and Development
Research and development efforts are proceeding in such areas as use of remote robots for decommissioning work, drawing on the collective expertise of research institutions, corporations, and others in Japan and overseas.
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Efforts to Improve Safety
Initiatives of many different kinds are being advanced to ensure the decommissioning is carried out safely and effectively.
