A specially designed robot is on its way into one of the three reactors with core meltdown at the damaged Japanese nuclear power plant, where it will retrieve radioactive waste.
The operation – which is estimated to take two weeks and is considered very complex – was originally supposed to be carried out in August, but was interrupted due to a technical malfunction.
The robot, called "telesco", is, as the name suggests, scalable and can reach up to 22 meters in length. This function will help it reach a surface in the reactor where it will collect a few grams – out of an estimated 800 tons – of radioactive fuel to be analyzed with the goal of developing methods and techniques for further decommissioning.
The radiation levels are so high and the risks so great that conventional technology does not work inside the reactors. Developing new methods and new equipment is very time-consuming.
The Japanese government and nuclear power operator Tepco announced shortly after the disaster triggered by an earthquake in 2011 that the cleanup would be completed within 30-40 years. Critics already argued then that the timeline was too optimistic, and since hardly any progress has been made so far, it is expected to take longer.
