Fuel removal from SFP-3 at Fukushima-1 completed

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TEPCO, PUBLISHED 06.03.2021

The removal of fuel from the Unit 3 spent fuel pool commenced on April 15, 2019 with the objective of completing it during FY2020 in accordance with the Mid-and-Long-term Roadmap.

February 28 at 1:59 PM, at the end of the 84^th fuel removal session, the final six fuel assemblies from the spent fuel pool were removed from their transport containers and placed into the fuel rack in the common pool thereby completing this project.

The removal of fuel from the Unit 3 spent fuel pool consisted of a series of preparatory tasks that were completed one by one, such as the removal of rubble from, and decontamination of, the uppermost floors of the reactor building, the construction of a fuel removal cover, and the installation of a fuel handling machine.

Since all of these tasks had to be performed in a high-dose environment, remotely operated equipment was used to remove debris while removing fuel.

This was the first time such methods were attempted and there were various problems that had to be overcome. However, TEPCO worked as one with contractors to continuously make improvements that resulted in the safe culmination of this task today.

The knowledge and lessons learned from this endeavor will be leveraged during the upcoming fuel removal from the Unit 1 and Unit 2 spent fuel pools as we continue to steadily move forward with decommissioning while prioritizing safety.

Topics: NPP Fukushima Daiichi

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