&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Japan sends robots into Fukushima nuclear power plant to tackle radioactive debris from 2011 disaster")
Technicians at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant are taking another cautious step toward one of the most challenging operations in the history of nuclear decommissioning. On Tuesday (Aug 19), remote-controlled robots were sent inside a damaged reactor to begin assessing radioactive debris left over from the horrific 2011 tsunami disaster. The plant, hit by one of the world's worst nuclear accidents, still contains around 880 tonnes of highly radioactive material.
Why robots?
As mentioned earlier, the Fukushima nuclear plant, the scene of the worst nuclear accident in history, still contains around 880 tonnes of radioactive material. This leftover material contains dangerously high levels of radiation, and its extraction is a critically dangerous operation and, as per AFP, the "thorniest challenge" of the decommissioning, which is expected to last decades. Since human workers cannot safely enter these areas, robots are at the forefront of the operation.
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Robot dog to the rescue
According to an AFP report citing a Tepco spokesperson, two robots — a dog-like machine called Spot and another known as Packbot — were deployed to measure radiation levels inside the reactor. Both are equipped with dosimeters, while Spot also carries a camera to give technicians a live view of the interior. The data gathered will guide decisions about how to remove the debris safely.
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Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated (TEPCO), the plant's operator, said the exploration is expected to last about a month. Small samples of radioactive material have already been collected in pilot tests, but large-scale extractions are still years away. These samples have been sent to research labs for analysis to inform the next steps.
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Originally, Tepco aimed to begin significant debris removal in the early 2030s, but the schedule has now been pushed back, with the operation expected to start no earlier than 2037. This delay, which was informed last month, has raised doubts about the "ambitious" goal of fully dismantling the plant by 2051, a joint target set by Tepco and the Japanese government.
