Japan to Conduct Risky Fuel Rod Removal in Fukushima

A TEPCO employee wearing a protective suit and a mask walks past storage tanks for radioactive water at the Fukushima NPP. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Japan will remove over 1 500 nuclear fuel rods from the crippled Fukushima plant.

The operation is highly risky, since a crane will pull out the radiated rods, and any mistake could result in large amounts of nuclear leakage.

The removal of the rods was scheduled for Friday, but will be delayed due to more necessary safety tests, reports Euronews.

A powerful earthquake and tsunami hit the north-eastern region of Japan in 2011, causing meltdowns at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Some 150 000 people were evacuated from the surrounding towns.

The reactor's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), has been struggling to contain radiation leaks since the disaster.

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