On November 10, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) removed the second of six panels that make up the roof covering the reactor building at Unit 1 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (NPS). The work is being conducted as one step toward the building’s dismantling.
The Unit 1 building cover had been installed in October 2011 to prevent radioactive materials from spreading into the surrounding environment. Debris is still scattered around on the operating floor at the top of the reactor building.
That debris will have to be taken away before the spent fuel assemblies from the spent fuel pool can be removed smoothly, reducing risk throughout the NPS, thus necessitating the dismantling of the reactor cover.
