Fukushima fuel debris removal likely delayed to FY 2037 or later

Postponement is a major setback to decommissioning deadline of 2051

The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was left crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster. © Kyodo

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A full-scale retrieval of melted fuel debris at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant is likely to be delayed to fiscal 2037 or later, from the initially planned early 2030s, a supervising body of decommissioning work said Tuesday.

The Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corp. will spend one or two years examining the feasibility of the removal plan after Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. explained that preparation work is expected to take 12 to 15 years.

The delay would be a major setback to the plan by the government and TEPCO to complete decommissioning by 2051, after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was left crippled by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster.