Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings on Tuesday began removing nuclear fuel from the spent fuel pool of the No. 2 reactor at its tsunami-stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.
The work is considered a key step in decommissioning the reactors at the plant. Tepco aims to complete the removal of all fuel assemblies from the No. 2 reactor by fiscal 2028, which ends in March 2028.
The No. 2 reactor’s spent fuel pool currently stores 587 spent fuel assemblies, which are highly radioactive, and 28 unused fuel assemblies, according to Tepco. The unused fuel is being removed first because it poses a lower risk in the event of an accident.