Have passed twelve years since the disaster, but the plant fukushima nuclear power It is still in its repair and reconstruction phase. Also surveillance. In fact, the last images of one of the three melted reactors by the tsunami show exposed steel bars in the main support structure. The lower part of the exterior concrete wall also appears damaged. These data have set off alarm bells, as the reactor may not be prepared to deal with another earthquake.

The images also show equipment slid down, as well as other debris, possibly nuclear fuel that broke away from the core and hardened, piling up as high as 40-50 centimeters from the bottom of the primary containment chamber, officials said. of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO). The Governor of Fukushima, Masao Uchiborihas urged the operator of the plant to “quickly assess earthquake resistance levels and provide information in a way that residents can easily understand and alleviate the concern of people across the country.”

The company sent an ROV-A2 remote-controlled underwater vehicle to the inside Unit 1, a support structure located just below the nucleus. This is how the first images of that area were obtained, inside which they could be found. remains of the molten fuel. According to the data obtained so far, most of the melted fuel inside Unit 1 it fell to the bottom of the primary containment chamber, but part of it could have passed through the concrete foundation. The five-minute video, which includes 39 hours of images captured by the robot, points out, precisely, damage to the exterior wall, which exposes the interior steel reinforcement.

TEPCO spokesman, Keisuke Matsuohas explained that reinforcing steel looks largely intact. Still, the company plans to analyze more data and images in the coming months to find if improvements are needed. the resistance of the damaged reactor to earthquakes. Meanwhile, some 880 tons of deadly radioactive molten nuclear fuel remains inside the three reactors. Although robotic probes have provided some information, the status of the melted debris is unknown.

Molten waste removal tests are expected to begin on Unit 2 later this year, after a delay of almost two years. Removal of spent fuel from the Unit 1 reactor cooling pool will begin in 2027, after a 10-year delay. Once all the spent fuel has been removed from the pools, in 2031 the care in the removal of molten waste of the reactors.