Nuclear fuel debris extracted from Fukushima No. 1 reactor, first since Great East Japan Earthquake

[Anchor]

It is estimated that more than 800 tons of nuclear fuel debris remain inside the reactor of the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan.

A very small amount of this debris has been successfully removed from the containment vessel.

This is the first time in 13 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

Reporter Hwang Jin-woo reports.

[Report]

At Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, debris from the nuclear fuel is being collected from the No. 2 reactor of the No. 1 nuclear power plant.

This is footage taken three days ago by a camera attached to the collection equipment.

The collected debris was transported outside the containment vessel today.

Although it is only a tiny amount measuring 5mm, this is the first removal of nuclear debris since the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

It was extracted using special equipment that can extend up to 22 meters and was remotely controlled.

The removed debris is currently stored inside special equipment within the containment building.

[Lake Barrett/Former Tokyo Electric Power Company Advisor: "They all mixed together with the radioactive materials -- so the cesium and strontium -- so it has a high gamma field that's like X-rays."]

Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to measure the radiation levels of the debris after three days.

If the radiation levels are still high and dangerous, the debris will be placed back into the containment vessel.

If safety is deemed secure, it will be transferred to the The Japan Atomic Energy Agency for detailed analysis, and based on that data, a plan for the removal of nuclear fuel will be established.

It is estimated that there is a total of 880 tons of nuclear fuel debris at Fukushima No. 1 power plant.

The Japanese government's goal is to decommission the Fukushima No. 1 plant by 2051.

There are 27 years remaining.

However, the test removal of debris measuring about 5mm has been delayed by three years from the original plan.

This operation was also supposed to start last August, but was delayed by about two months due to equipment assembly errors and camera malfunctions.

Reporting from Tokyo, this is KBS News Hwang Jin-woo.