A tiny grain of nuclear fuel is pulled from ruined Japanese nuclear plant, in a step toward cleanup

TOKYO -- A robot that has spent months wrong nan ruins of a atomic reactor astatine nan tsunami-hit Fukushima Daiichi plant delivered a mini sample of melted atomic substance connected Thursday, successful what works officials said was a measurement toward opening nan cleanup of hundreds of tons of melted substance debris.

The sample, nan size of a atom of rice, was placed into a unafraid container, marking nan extremity of nan mission, according to Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which manages nan plant. It is being transported to a mitt container for size and weight measurements earlier being sent to extracurricular laboratories for elaborate analyses complete nan coming months.

Plant main Akira Ono has said it will supply cardinal information to scheme a decommissioning strategy, create basal exertion and robots and study really nan mishap had developed.

Despite aggregate probes successful nan years since nan 2011 disaster that wrecked nan works and forced thousands of adjacent residents to time off their homes, overmuch astir nan site's highly radioactive interior remains a mystery.

The sample, nan first to beryllium retrieved from wrong a reactor, was importantly little radioactive than expected. Officials had been concerned that it mightiness beryllium excessively radioactive to beryllium safely tested moreover pinch dense protective gear, and group an precocious limit for removal retired of nan reactor. The sample came successful good nether nan limit.

That's led immoderate to mobility whether nan robot extracted nan atomic substance it was looking for from an area successful which erstwhile probes person detected overmuch higher levels of radioactive contamination, but TEPCO officials insist they judge nan sample is melted fuel.

The extendable robot, nicknamed Telesco, first began its ngo August pinch a scheme for a two-week information trip, aft erstwhile missions had been delayed since 2021. But advancement was suspended doubly owed to mishaps — nan first involving an assembly error that took astir 3 weeks to fix, and nan 2nd a camera failure.

On Oct. 30, it clipped a sample weighting little than 3 grams (.01 ounces) from nan aboveground of a mound of melted substance debris sitting connected nan bottommost of nan superior containment alloy of nan Unit 2 reactor, TEPCO said.

Three days later, the robot returned to an enclosed container, arsenic workers successful afloat hazmat cogwheel slow pulled it out.

On Thursday, nan gravel, whose radioactivity earlier this week recorded acold beneath nan precocious limit group for its biology and wellness safety, was placed into a safe instrumentality for removal retired of nan compartment.

The sample return marks nan first clip nan melted substance is retrieved retired of nan containment vessel.

Fukushima Daiichi mislaid its cardinal cooling systems during a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, causing meltdowns successful its 3 reactors. An estimated 880 tons of fatally radioactive melted substance remains successful them.

The authorities and TEPCO person group a 30-to-40-year target to decorativeness nan cleanup by 2051, which experts opportunity is overly optimistic and should beryllium updated. Some opportunity it would return for a period aliases longer.

No circumstantial plans for nan afloat removal of nan substance debris aliases its last disposal person been decided.