Key Piece Of Debris Removed From One Of Damaged Fukushima Reactors

FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN - AUG. 2: A key piece of debris was successfully removed Sunday from a damaged reactor at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, clearing the way for the removal of over 500 spent fuel rods sitting inside the unit's cooling pool more than four years after the 2011 crisis. An official of plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. called the removal of fuel handing equipment from the pool "major progress" in the debris clearing process and a step forward to the reactor's eventual decommissioning. The fuel handing device, used to put fuel rods in and out of the No. 3 reactor and located above its spent fuel pool, fell into the pit when a hydrogen explosion rocked the structure housing the reactor on March 14, 2011. The 20-ton device was the largest piece of debris inside the pool. With 566 spent fuel rods still in the pool, its removal required workers to be extra-cautious amid concern that if mishandled, the device could fall into the pool again and damage the fuel. Shortly before noon, workers began remotely operating two large cranes to lift the fuel handling equipment from the pool and removed it in less than 90 minutes, according to the utilities company. The government and Tokyo Electric plan to begin removing the spent fuel from the pool by the end of March 2018.