デブリの試験的取り出し成功　事故後初、廃炉向け一歩―東電福島第１原発

　東京電力は７日、福島第１原発事故で溶け落ちた２号機の核燃料（デブリ）の試験的取り出し作業を完了したと発表した。回収装置が採取した５ミリ大のデブリの放射線量を測定し、作業に問題ないことを確認した上で、運搬用の専用容器に収納。約２カ月で一連の作業を終えた。
　２０１１年の事故後、格納容器内からデブリを回収したのは初めてで、廃炉に向けた工程は新たな段階に入った。今後、茨城県大洗町や東海村にある日本原子力研究開発機構などの４施設で成分などを分析し、本格的な取り出しに向けた研究に役立てる。
　東電によると、７日午前９時ごろから作業を開始し、約２時間半余りかけてデブリの入った専用容器をコンテナに収納した。今後、重さや詳細な放射線量などを測定した上で分析施設に運ぶ。ただ、テロ対策を理由に詳細は公表しないという。
　東電の担当者は７日午後の記者会見で「地域の皆さまへご心配を掛けることのないよう、安全を最優先に取り組みたい」と述べた。（2024/11/07-18:59）

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. said Thursday that it has completed the trial removal of nuclear fuel debris from a crippled reactor at its Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in northeastern Japan.
   In the two-month trial, TEPCO collected a 5-millimeter piece of fuel debris from the No. 2 reactor at the plant and placed it in a special container for transport after confirming that radiation levels were not problematic for carrying out the operation.
   It is the first time that such debris has been collected from a reactor containment vessel since the plant was hit by the March 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami.
   The project to decommission the disaster-stricken nuclear plant has now entered a new phase. The debris piece will be analyzed at four facilities, including those of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency in Ibaraki Prefecture, and the findings are expected to be used for the full-scale removal of fuel debris.
   TEPCO began the trial work in September and collected the debris piece from the reactor containment vessel's bottom on Oct. 30 with a remote controlled device shaped like a fishing rod. The device with the debris piece was removed from the containment vessel on Saturday.