Japanese Alter Fukushima Fuel Removal Dates

The Japanese government has adjusted the anticipated fuel removal dates at the Fukushima Daiichi site’s Units 1,2, and 3, the Tokyo Electric Power Company announced late last week. The new plans push the fuel removal of Units 1 and 2 until 2020, later than the originally scheduled Fiscal Year 2017 fuel removal target for Unit 1. Unit 3 will be pushed up to Fiscal Year 2017, compared to its original 2020 target date. According to TEPCO, the new dates reflect a change in thinking after years of experience and exposure to fuel removal projects at the site. "The revisions made to the mid-and-long-term roadmap are based on our experience over the past four years, and we will continue moving forward, adhering to the plan." said TEPCO President Naomi Hirose in a statement. "Safety will always be top priority in the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi.” The fuel rods in Units 1 to 3 all suffered heavy damage, resulting in fuel debris, and are not so easily transferred, TEPCO has said in the past.