How is "spent fuel" removed?

The fuel removal procedure is as follows.

1. Fuel stored in the spent fuel pool is loaded into transport containers (casks) underwater using a fuel handling machine.
2. The lid of the cask is affixed while it is still under water, and after the surface of the cask is cleaned a crane is used to hoist it out of the water and load it onto a trailer truck.
3. The cask is then transported to a common pool located on site.
4. The fuel inside of cask is removed while the cask is submerged and stored in the common pool.
The removal of all of the fuel from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 4 was completed in December 2014, and fuel removal from Unit 3 was completed in February 2021. At Units 1, 2, 5, and 6, fuel is currently being stored in the spent fuel pools and we are making preparations to remove this fuel in the future.