Progress in Efforts for Decommissioning

< Removal of spent fuel >

Removal of all assemblies from the spent fuel pool was completed at Unit 4 in December 2014 and at Unit 3 in February 2021, and the risk of discharge of radioactive materials caused by the breaking down of spent fuel due to failure to cool it down was significantly reduced.

At present, at Units 1 and 2, preparatory work is being carried out while placing top priority on ensuring safety, such as through installing large covers at working sites in order to further suppress scattering of dust at the time of clearing rubble.

< Removal of fuel debris >

The Mid- and Long-term Roadmap revised in December 2019 decides the method of removing fuel debris at the first Unit (a Unit for which removal is commenced first). The removal works are scheduled to be commenced at Unit 2 first on a trial basis, and the scale will be sequentially expanded in stages.^*1

Investigations of the inside of containment vessels by using robots that were developed based on cutting-edge technologies have been conducted so far. Efforts will be continued to develop technologies necessary for those investigations and fuel debris removal (such as robot arms), and systems to analyze property of fuel debris and to confine radioactive materials.

*1: Fuel debris removal work may be delayed for around one year due to delay in the development of relevant equipment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Included in this reference material on February 28, 2018
• Updated on March 31, 2022