Robots to Investigate Fukushima N-Reactors

Tokyo, May 8 (Jiji Press)--Tokyo Electric Power Co. <9501> plans to use robots for investigating the inside of reactor containment vessels at its stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, informed sources said Thursday. The investigation is expected to take place as early as in the fiscal second half that begins in October, the sources said. Internal conditions of the containment vessels at the plant's No. 1 to 3 reactors remain unknown. If the robots are able to identify where melted nuclear fuel is located, this would lead to progress in work to decommission the plant damaged in the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. But it is unclear how much information can be obtained by the robots due to high radiation levels and steams inside the vessels. According to TEPCO, the robot investigation is aimed at assessing temperatures and radiation levels inside the vessels. Robots are made by Hitachi Ltd. <6501> and others. The government plans to start removing melted fuel in 2020. END