Fukushima's 880 ton nuclear debris removal delayed by up to 15 yrs

The cleanup of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster site in Japan faces significant delays, with the full-scale removal of approximately 880 tons of molten nuclear fuel debris from the third reactor now postponed by up to 15 years. Originally planned to begin in the early 2030s, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) announced that preparatory work—including radiation reduction and construction of necessary facilities—will take 12 to 15 years, potentially pushing the start of debris removal to 2037 or later. This delay threatens to extend the decommissioning timeline beyond the Japanese government’s target completion year of 2051, although TEPCO remains committed to meeting that deadline. The Fukushima disaster, triggered by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, caused catastrophic meltdowns in three reactors after critical cooling systems failed. The site remains highly radioactive, complicating cleanup efforts. Recent seismic activity, including an 8.8-magnitude earthquake near Russia’s Kamchatka