Tokyo Electric Power Co. will use a new robot to begin decontaminating the walls of Fukushima Daiichi unit 2, while the Japanese government announced plans for a new city to house workers involved in cleanup and decommissioning at the damaged nuclear plant.
Recent developments related to the TEPCO reactors blacked out by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami include:
New Robot Begins Surface Cleaning in Unit 2
TEPCO announced Wednesday it began decontaminating the walls and equipment inside unit 2 using a new robot. Decontamination efforts there began in November using a robot engineered by a Japanese company called ATOX to clean the unit's floor. To vacuum radioactive dust from walls and other surfaces, TEPCO will make use of a new Toshiba-modified robot made by Husqvarna, a Swedish company perhaps best known in the U.S. for its chainsaws and other power tools. The robot can also wipe down surfaces, reaching objects as high as five meters off the ground, according to a TEPCO release. Its work in unit 2 is expected to continue through mid-July.
Government Plans New Town Around Decommissioning Efforts
The head of the Japanese government's Fukushima task force on Monday presented local leaders with a plan to build a city near the plant that will serve as a center for decommissioning work and research. Decontamination and new construction in Okuma's Ogawara district 10 kilometers from Fukushima Daiichi would bring workers and future research efforts closer to the plant. The plan envisions housing and facilities for 3,000 workers by 2018, the Asahi Shimbun reported, with as many as 5,000 people needed for the multi-decade decommissioning effort over the long term. The government hopes the city will provide an incentive for residents to return to areas that were previously evacuated, with research projects related to the cleanup, a new energy research center and other facilities expected to create 15,000 new jobs.