摘要:
SummaryCleaning up after the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has been going on for 10 years and it is likely to take another 30 years to complete the job. The earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan led to multiple meltdowns and explosions at the nuclear plant. Four unique structures have been or are being built to retrieve undamaged nuclear fuel from units damaged during the accident. Engineers are still pondering how to safely retrieve the melted fuel debris from inside the reactor vessels and how to dispose of 1.24 million tons of contaminated cooling water without damaging the environment. A proposal to release the water into the Pacific Ocean is fiercely opposed by environmentalists, the fishing industry, and neighboring nations.