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Trial lifting of damaged fuel assembly completed at Unit 2 of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced on August 18 that a trial lifting of a damaged fuel assembly in the spent fuel pool of Unit 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station has been completed. The assembly was damaged in a fall 45 years ago and was subsequently repaired with wire. This trial lifting was conducted to confirm whether it can be safely handled during the subsequent removal operation. A total of 615 fuel assemblies are stored in the Unit 2 fuel pool, including 587 spent fuel assemblies and 28 unused fuel assemblies. The removal work began on June 2, and the fuel assemblies will be transferred to the shared fuel pool within the plant site. As of August 17, 35 fuel assemblies had been removed. Despite interruptions during the operation, Tokyo Electric Power Company...

2026-08-20

Removal of Highly Radioactive Spent Fuel Begins at Unit 2 of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) said on August 17 that it has begun removing spent fuel assemblies with high radiation levels from the spent fuel pool of Unit 2 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in northeastern Japan, the site of a severe nuclear accident. Last month, TEPCO removed 28 unused nuclear fuel assemblies from the Unit 2 spent fuel pool. Compared with spent fuel, these unused fuel assemblies pose relatively lower risks. The company plans to complete the removal of spent fuel from Unit 2 by the end of fiscal year 2028. To date, the Unit 2 spent fuel pool contains a total of 587 spent fuel assemblies, of which TEPCO has completed the removal of...

2026-08-18

Safety measure costs after Japan's nuclear plant accident rise to at least 6.606 trillion yen

A survey of 11 Japanese electric power companies shows that the total cost of safety measures required for nuclear plants to meet new regulatory standards following the Fukushima Daiichi accident has reached at least 6.606 trillion yen. Affected by rising prices, this figure has increased slightly from the previous year. About half of the surveyed companies said that rising costs of materials, equipment, and construction have pushed up related expenses, and the total may continue to rise in the future. After the Fukushima Daiichi accident, Japan implemented new nuclear regulatory standards requiring plants to strengthen earthquake and tsunami protection and improve severe accident response measures. Related costs mainly include seawalls, emergency power supplies, filtered venting equipment, and...

2026-08-18

Fire alarm triggered for fifth time at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in August; no fire confirmed on site

At 7:14 a.m. on August 18, a fire alarm was triggered on the first basement floor of the turbine building of Unit 5 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) stated that after fire department personnel arrived and conducted inspections, no fire was confirmed on site at 7:55 a.m. Readings from radiation monitoring stations around the plant showed no significant fluctuations. This was the fifth time a fire alarm had been triggered at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station since the beginning of August. Previously, related alarms had occurred on August 8 at the maintenance building for Units 5 and 6, on August 12 at the emergency diesel generator room for the high-pressure core spray system of Unit 6, on August 13 at the main administration building, and on August 15 at the southwest stairwell of the turbine building of Unit 5. After each of the above alarms was triggered, the fire department confirmed that no fire had occurred...

2026-08-18

22nd Round of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station ALPS Treated Water Discharge Completed

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) stated on August 17 that the 22nd round of ALPS treated water discharge from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station had been completed by the afternoon of the same day (local time). This round of discharge began on July 30, with a total of 7,888 tonnes of ALPS treated water released. According to information released by TEPCO, the total amount of radioactive tritium contained in the water discharged in this round was approximately 1.3 trillion becquerels. This is the 4th round of ALPS treated water discharge from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in Japan's fiscal year 2026. Japan began discharging ALPS treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station in August 2023. To date, 22 rounds of discharge have been carried out, with a cumulative discharge volume of approximately 173,000 tonnes...

2026-08-18

New Decommissioning Plan for Fukushima Daiichi: Priority on Internal Investigation of Unit 3 Before Fuel Debris Retrieval

The Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation of Japan released on August 6 an outline of the 2026 edition of the "Decommissioning Strategic Plan," proposing technical approaches for the decommissioning of Tokyo Electric Power Company's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The plan highlights that, for the large-scale retrieval of melted fuel debris at Unit 3, expected to commence in or after fiscal year 2037, priority should currently be given to internal investigations of the reactor building to provide a more reliable basis for subsequent engineering plans. The plan states that the fuel debris retrieval method being studied by TEPCO still requires further improvement in certainty, with the key prerequisite being an understanding of the actual internal conditions of the reactor. Due to the high radiation levels of the water inside the unit following the accident...

2026-08-07

Nitrogen Supply Unit at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Resumes Operation After Malfunction

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) reported on August 1 that a reactor nitrogen supply unit at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station malfunctioned that day, but was subsequently repaired and resumed gas supply. The company stated that during the malfunction, no significant fluctuations were observed in hydrogen concentrations inside the reactors of Units 1 to 3 or in surrounding radiation monitoring data, and no risk of hydrogen explosion was confirmed. The reactor containments and pressure vessels of Units 1 to 3 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station require continuous nitrogen injection to suppress hydrogen accumulation resulting from radiolysis of water. If hydrogen concentrations exceed a certain level, the risk of hydrogen explosion may increase. According to TEPCO, at 11:14 a.m. on August 1, a worker...

2026-08-03

Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station launches 22nd release of radioactive wastewater into the ocean, approximately 7,800 tons this time

On the morning of July 30, 2026, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) initiated a new round of nuclear-contaminated water discharge into the ocean at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. This marks the 4th release within 2026 and the 22nd since the discharge plan began in August 2023. According to data released by TEPCO, this discharge is expected to continue until the 17th of next month, with a total volume of approximately 7,800 tons. The total amount of radioactive substance tritium contained therein is as high as approximately 1.3 trillion becquerels. Prior to this, Japan had conducted a total of 21 rounds of radioactive wastewater discharge by the 24th of this month, with a cumulative discharge volume reaching approximately 165,000 tons. This action continues to draw attention and concern from neighboring countries and the international community. This time...

2026-07-31

Third fuel debris retrieval test at Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2 postponed due to robotic arm malfunction

The robot used by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) for the third experimental fuel debris retrieval at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Unit 2 malfunctioned during an on-site operational test, forcing the cancellation of the plan originally scheduled to start after July 2026 if all went well. The company stated it will reassess the relevant procedures. The malfunction occurred in part of the large robotic arm equipment used to collect fuel debris. During an operational test in the reactor building of Unit 2, TEPCO found an abnormality in one of the motors driving the robotic arm, causing the brake to fail to release and the arm to be unable to extend. The company is currently studying the replacement of the faulty motor. The third experimental retrieval plan was to use a large robotic arm...

2026-07-31