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Al Mayadeen's correspondent: 35 martyrs, 75 injured in occupation targeting of civilians seeking food aid in Rafah, Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Da Silva: What is happening in Gaza is not a war, it is a genocide
Da Silva: Even the Jewish people do not want this war; it is revenge by a government against the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state
Brazilian President Lula da Silva: What we are seeing is not a war between two armies. [What we have is a] completely professional army that is killing women and children in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas: We affirm our readiness to immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations to reach an agreement on the points of contention
Hamas: We welcome the continued Qatari and Egyptian efforts to end the war waged by the Zionist occupation against our people
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli occupation forces blew up Noura Al-Kaabi Hospital, designated for kidney dialysis patients, in the northern Gaza Strip
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli drone targets a car on the Ayta al-Shaab-Debel road in southern Lebanon
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Yahya Saree: The remaining airlines that have not yet complied with the ban are urged to take this into serious consideration to ensure the safety of their aircraft and passengers
Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesperson Yahya Saree: The YAF, after successfully imposing a partial ban on air traffic at Lydd Airport, are now working to impose a full ban on air traffic at the aforementioned airport in the coming period

Fukushima begins operation to remove radioactive debris

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 10 Sep 2024 11:29
2 Min Read

Robots are being utilized to collect samples that provide insights into the conditions inside the reactors, a crucial step in the decommissioning process of the plant struck by the tsunami in Japan 13 years ago.

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  • An aerial view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Tepco has begun an operation to remove radioactive debris from inside its reactors using robots. Photograph: AP
    An aerial view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. Tepco has begun an operation to remove radioactive debris from inside its reactors using robots. (AP)

The challenging task of removing a small amount of radioactive debris from Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant has commenced, following a delay caused by technical issues during an earlier attempt.

Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) announced on Tuesday that it has initiated its “pilot extraction operation,” which is expected to take about two weeks. This initial extraction will involve a small sample to help understand conditions inside the reactors, a crucial step in the decommissioning process for the Fukushima Daiichi plant.

Approximately 880 tons of highly hazardous material remain at the site, 13 years after a tsunami triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake led to one of the worst nuclear disasters in history. The removal of this debris is considered the most formidable challenge in the decades-long decommissioning effort.

Tepco had initially planned to begin this first trial removal on August 22, aiming to collect just three grams (0.1 ounces) of debris for analysis. However, the company had to halt the operation at an early stage due to issues with the installation of the necessary equipment.

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Dive deeper

When the tsunami struck on March 11, 2011, three of Fukushima plant’s six reactors were operational and subsequently went into meltdown. The radiation levels within the debris are so intense that Tepco had to design specialized robots to operate in the environment.

In preparation for the debris removal, Tepco deployed two mini-drones and a “snake-shaped robot” into one of the reactors in February.

Additionally, Japan began discharging treated wastewater from the Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean last year, leading to a diplomatic dispute with China and Russia, as well as other regional countries. Both countries have imposed bans on Japanese seafood imports, although Tokyo maintains that the discharge is safe, a stance supported by the IAEA.

In a bid to boost local produce, Tepco also initiated a campaign promoting Fukushima-grown food. This past Saturday, London’s Harrods department store started selling peaches from the Fukushima region. 

Read more: Japan begins dump of Fukushima wastewater into ocean

  • TEPCO
  • Japan
  • Fukushima
  • Russia
  • China
  • radioactive debris
  • Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant

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