Breakthrough at Fukushima: First Nuclear Fuel Sample Extracted from Reactor

[Bernoldus Niemand]

Breakthrough at Fukushima: First nuclear fuel sample extracted from reactor

A robot tasked with searching the wreckage inside Fukushima Daiichi's Unit 2 reactor has retrieved a sample of melted nuclear fuel.

www.newsweek.com

Arobot tasked with navigating the wreckage inside Fukushima Daiichi's Unit 2 reactor has successfully retrieved a small sample of melted nuclear fuel, marking a crucial step in Japan's journey toward decommissioning the disaster-stricken plant.

The sample, roughly the size of a grain of rice, was recovered on Thursday, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), the utility responsible for the site.

The retrieval marks a milestone in the effort to clear the 880 tons of highly radioactive debris left by the catastrophic meltdown that followed the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

 

[Bernoldus Niemand]

While TEPCO and the Japanese government have set an ambitious goal to complete the cleanup within 30 to 40 years—targeting 2051—many experts argue that this timeline is overly optimistic.

Ah yes use nuclear they said.

 

[Adeptus Mechanicus]

Ah yes use nuclear they said.

Yup, still cleaner than coal.

 

[wingnut771]

All a big waste of time discussing this as there is too much politics with this stuff.

Well, we can start hoping when the right wingers are in charge again.

 

[wingnut771]

If I become my own country by buying an island, can I build a SMR without any red tape?

Assume I'm the richest person on the planet.