In preparation to further enlarge the scope of fuel debris retrieval from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 3, the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation (NDF) established a Sub-Committee for the Evaluation of Fuel Debris Retrieval Methods in 2023. Its purpose was to comprehensively deliberate or assess retrieval methods prioritising safety. In March 2024, a report was compiled containing recommendations for retrieval method selection by the Sub-Committee.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc., (TEPCO) has been deliberating fuel debris retrieval method designs from Unit 3 – based on the contents of the report – while taking the suggestions made by Sub-Committee members into consideration upon updating the Sub-Committee on the status of these deliberations approximately. TEPCO has now completed the fuel debris retrieval method deliberations and submitted a report to the Sub-Committee.
Fuel debris retrieval is an extremely vital task for moving forward with decommissioning not only because it will reduce risk at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station – but also because it presents unprecedented technological challenges.
TEPCO will proceed difficult tasks for the fuel debris retrieval step by step while prioritising safety – as it aims to finish decommissioning in 30~40 years, as laid out in the Mid-and-Long-Term Roadmap, and fully complete the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.
