Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant further delays removal of melted fuel debris

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — The operator of the tsunami-hit nuclear plant in Fukushima has announced a delay of several more months before launching a test to remove melted fuel debris from inside one of the reactors. The plant operator is citing problems clearing the way for a robotic arm.  The debris cleanup initially was supposed to be started by 2021, but it has been plagued with delays that underscore the difficulty of recovering from the plant’s meltdown after a magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in March 2011. The disasters destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant’s power supply and cooling systems. That caused three reactors to melt down, and massive amounts of fatally radioactive melted nuclear fuel remain inside to this day.