A new underwater robot called the “Little Sunfish” has been sent into a reactor at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan.
According to an operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (Tepco), the ‘Little Sunfish’ was sent to look for debris from the melted core and assess the damage caused by a nuclear meltdown in 2011.
The condition of the nuclear debris in the reactor remains unknown despite six years passing since the disaster, as dangerously high radiation levels have damaged robot probes in the past.
Tepco says 6.4 meters (20 feet) of liquid remains in reactor number three, where the ‘Little Sunfish’ was sent on July 19, after it was sprayed with coolant to prevent fuel from overheating after the meltdown.
The reactor cannot be decommissioned until all nuclear fuel has been located and safely removed, a process that some say could take another 30 to 40 years.
Reuters
