Fuel rod removal: Fukushima’s most dangerous operation yields first successes

[MineralMan]

1. To add: There were lots of predictions of disaster

from this fuel rod assembly removal project. Almost nobody would consider the possibility that it would succeed, and the horrible possibility that it would not and that another major earthquake might make removal impossible was almost never mentioned.

Now, the removal process has begun, successfully so far. They worked for four days, and are now stopping temporarily to analyze the process and to plan improvements for the rest of the fuel rod assembly removal program.

There is still a possibility of failure or problems down the road, but every assembly that is removed is one that won't have to be removed again and will not be there in the case of another major earthquake. The situation at Fukushima is terrible, but it is the situation that must be dealt with.

This successful removal of 22 assemblies gives me a bit more optimism that the operation will be successful. I certainly wish TEPCO success in carrying this operation out.

Nuclear Power Generation is not safe. It cannot be made to be safe.