The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant Disaster: 12 Years Later
Twelve years after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant disaster in Japan, the details of the destruction inside its reactors are only just beginning to be revealed. The plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., is now in the process of stabilizing the plant so that a decommissioning strategy can be better planned. Unfortunately, the task of decommissioning the plant is not an easy one and is expected to be lengthy and challenging.
The most pressing issue in the decommissioning process is the release of large amounts of treated but still radioactive water from the plant into the sea. Local fishing communities, as well as neighboring countries such as China and South Korea, have raised safety concerns about this, and the government and TEPCO need to prove that the water’s radioactivity is far below legal limits before its planned discharge.
The removal of melted debris from the three damaged reactors is another difficult task that must be completed in order to move forward with the decommissioning process. To that end, a remote-controlled underwater vehicle was recently used to collect a tiny sample from one of the melted reactors, but the status of the remaining debris remains largely unknown. The removal of spent fuel in the Unit 1 reactor’s cooling pool is set to begin in 2027, while the removal of melted debris is expected to start in Unit 2 sometime after September this year.
The government is aiming to complete the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant by 2051, but some experts believe this goal is impossible. The plant’s radioactivity will gradually decrease over time, but the decommissioning process will require a great deal of planning, coordination, and public understanding. TEPCO plans to finish construction of the necessary facilities for the water discharge in the spring and then receive safety approval from nuclear regulators.
No matter how long it takes to decommission the plant, it is essential that the safety of the surrounding environment is prioritized in order to ensure the health of the local communities and the wider world.
