If the plant’s pools lose their cooling water in another major quake, exposed fuel rods could quickly overheat and cause an even worse meltdown. Separate efforts to remove spent fuel from cooling pools inside the reactor buildings were hampered by high radiation and debris and have been delayed for up to five years. Local officials and residents say they expect the complex to one day be open space where they can walk freely. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Radiation levels have declined, allowing workers and visitors to wear regular clothes and surgical masks in most areas. It was the most severe nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. A decade ago, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant melted down. Early in the crisis, highly contaminated water that leaked from damaged basements and maintenance ditches escaped into the ocean, but the main leakage points have been closed, TEPCO says. It sits on the country's east coast, about 220km (137 miles) north-east of the capital Tokyo. The Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant in the Fukushima prefecture suffered a meltdown after being struck by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a 15-meter tsunami in March 2011. On 11 March 2011, an earthquake cut power to the Fukushima … WHAT HAPPENED 10 YEARS AGO? Tons of contaminated sandbags filled with a material used to reduce cesium in the highly radioactive water early in the disaster remain in two basements. Tiny amounts of radiation have continued leaking into the sea and elsewhere through underground passages, though the amount today is small and fish caught off the coast are safe to eat, scientists say. The chain of events caused radiation leaks and permanently damaged several reactors, making them impossible to restart. The water is pumped up and treated. Eight years have passed since a tsunami smashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, sparking a meltdown and the worst atomic crisis since Chernobyl. Tons of contaminated sandbags filled with a material used to reduce cesium in the highly radioactive water early in the disaster remain in two basements. A decision on that recommendation is pending. Three of its reactors melted down, leaving it looking like a … 1, 2 and 3. Members of the media at Tepco's tsunami-crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture in February 2016. A government panel’s recommendation that the water be released into the sea is facing fierce opposition from local residents, especially fishermen concerned about further damage to the area’s reputation. Learn how your comment data is processed. Plant chief Akira Ono says the inability to see what’s happening inside the reactors means that details about the melted fuel are still largely unknown. A worker for Tokyo Electric Power Co. stands by a gate at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Okuma town, Fukushima prefecture, northeastern Japan, Saturday, Feb. 27, … This declaration, made on Tuesday, April 13, featured Japan’s plan to gradually release 1.25 tons of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.They plan to dispose of the water in small increments over 40 years, with the start date set for two years from now. WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE STORED RADIOACTIVE WATER? An announcement made by the Japanese government has sparked controversy around the globe. 3 reactor pool was recently completed. The first thing visitors see is a stylish office building that holds the TEPCO decommissioning unit. Declined, allowing workers and visitors to wear regular clothes and surgical masks in most areas leaks and permanently several... 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