Fukushima nuclear plant faces prolonged battle against radioactive debris, water

[Barrett808]

As workers struggle to bring the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant under control, signs are increasing that the eventual cleanup of the disaster will take much longer than previously thought.

Containers of rubble, unwanted and of unknown levels of contamination, line the roadside near the plant. Pools of radioactive water at the plant, a constant problem since the March 11 disaster, may pose even longer-term challenges. And full studies on how to remove nuclear fuel and eventually decommission the four troubled reactors have yet to start.

Tokyo Electric Power Co., the plant's operator, started using remote-controlled, unmanned heavy machinery in late April to put radioactive debris into containers each with a capacity of about 4 cubic meters.

By June 5, 279 containers had been filled.

"We don't know where we can take the containers," said a TEPCO spokesman. ...

Fukushima nuclear plant faces prolonged battle against radioactive debris, water

[FBaggins]

1. Going to be a lot more where that came from.

The reactors themselves take up a tad more than 4 cubic meters.

[kristopher]

2. Imagine trying to clean up hundreds of square miles of radioactive debris one sq ft at a time...

"We don't know where we can take the containers," said a TEPCO spokesman. In fact, the spokesman said the company has no idea about the aggregate volume of the debris nor the amount of radiation for each container. TEPCO planned to complete work to remove the rubble within three months, but officials now say that no end is in sight.

Link to original Asahi Shimbun article
http://www.asahi.com/english/TKY201106060179.html

[daggahead]

3. This will take years ...

... to bring under control.