Robots to remove radioactive sandbags from Fukushima nuclear plant

Two robots will be employed at the Fukushima nuclear power plant to retrieve sandbags used to absorb radiation-contaminated water after the 2011 disaster. According to Tepco, the operator of the crippled power plant, they will be used from next week to remove the bags from the underground floors of two buildings. The bags have been left untouched since the 2011 disaster because high radiation levels on their surface make them dangerous for humans. Both robots were designed to perform the task and one of them has a moving claw. Workers will use them to bring the sandbags out in an operation that Tepco plans to finish by the end of the 2027 fiscal year. According to Japanese media reports, there are over 2800 radioactive bags that need to be removed from the buildings, but Tepco has not confirmed such a number, talking instead about a total weight of 41,500 Kg. The retrieved bags will be put inside containers for radioactive material and kept at a temporary storage on site.
In 2011, three of Fukushima’s reactors went into meltdown after a huge tsunami hit the plant. It was the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl and left parts of the surrounding area uninhabitable. In addition to the contaminated sandbags, there are over 800,000 Kg. of radioactive debris in the plant. Removing them is the most challenging part of the long decommissioning process of the facility due to dangerously high radiation levels.