The operator of the crippled Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station will start dismantling treated water tanks next week to clear space needed to store nuclear fuel debris to be extracted from the reactors.
The step is a milestone of a sort as Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) moves ahead with a decades-long project to dismantle the entire facility, which has been shut down since it was hit by a catastrophic tsunami in 2011, leading to the meltdown of three reactors.
“The company will start dismantling welded water tanks on February 13, if the weather allows,” a Tepco spokesman said.