The drone’s camera captured damage from inside the containment vessel of Reactor 1, which suffered the most during the radiation accident at the First Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in 2011.
Previously, reactors 1-3 were particularly difficult to investigate due to high levels of radioactivity and leaks of radioactive fuel inside their containment chambers.
Here is a video shared by the Brazilian broadcaster Universo:
🎥 Fukushima: Vídeo de drone mostra interior do reator da usina nuclear danificado em 2011 pic.twitter.com/xs6HIGBLyV
— UOL Notícias (@UOLNoticias) March 22, 2024
The damaged reactors still contain about 880 tons of highly radioactive molten nuclear fuel that must be safely removed before they can be fully decommissioned, reports the Associated Press.
The lightweight drone that visited reactor No. 1 was developed by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) and was supposed to squeeze into the first floor of reactor No. 1 to help determine the exact location of the fuel inside the damaged reactor containment vessel. Using this information, engineers could then develop robots to safely remove it, a process that could take another 10 years.
Along with the drone, a snake robot was launched into the reactor to illuminate the area ahead.
More than 13 years have passed since a powerful earthquake and tsunami devastated the Fukushima region of Japan. A 14-meter-high wave flooded the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and three of its six nuclear reactors were severely damaged. According to the World Nuclear Association, several hundred workers were exposed to excessive radiation. About 160,000 people were evacuated from their homes and have been allowed only limited returns since 2012.