The International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) on March 28 unveiled a robot that will be used to probe the inside of the No. 1 reactor at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, which experienced a meltdown in March 2011. The robot, created by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), will make the first ever attempt to collect nuclear fuel debris at the plant, beginning as early as this summer. The No. 1 reactor suffered far more damage than the No. 2 and No. 3 reactors, and most of its nuclear fuel is believed to have turned into debris at the bottom of the containment vessel enveloping the reactor. Because the containment vessel is filled with cooling water, the robot was designed to work underwater. The robot, which has a diameter of 25 centimeters and is approximately 110 centimeters in length, will allow for visual confirmation of the internal state of the containment vessel. GEH will be developing a total of six types of robots for purposes such as collection of debris samples and measuring radiation levels, and measuring distribution of debris on the bottom of the containment vessel.
Mainichi 29th March 2019 read more »
The Tokyo District Court on March 27 ordered Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) to pay a total of about 21 million yen in compensation to 13 people in seven households who were forced to evacuate from their hometown in the village of Iitate in the northeastern prefecture of Fukushima, after the 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
Mainichi 28th March 2019 read more »
