The extraction of melted nuclear fuel rod debris at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant could begin in 2020, or 18 months earlier than originally anticipated, the central government and Tokyo Electric Power Co. said June 10.
In releasing a draft amendment to the current decommissioning road map, however, the government and TEPCO said they are not expecting the entire decommissioning process to end earlier than they had initially planned, which is 30 to 40 years after the nuclear disaster that was set off by the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
The workers have yet to gain a grasp of the locations and condition of the fuel debris. They have yet to develop extraction equipment and determine removal methods.
The government and TEPCO are expected to meet by the end of June to revise their decommissioning road map on the basis of the latest draft amendment.