Chubu Electric Power has begun dismantling the pressure vessel of the No. 2 reactor at its Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture.
On Monday, the power utility removed the top lid of the reactor, marking the first time in Japan that the dismantling of a commercial nuclear reactor has begun. The firm is in the process of decommissioning the Hamaoka plant's No. 1 and No. 2 reactors.
According to Chubu Electric, the top lid spans about 6 meters in diameter and around 3 meters in height, is roughly 80 centimeters thick and weighs approximately 55 tons.
From March 27, the company plans to cut the lid into pieces that are each around 4 meters long, about a meter wide and some 8 centimeters thick, using a large cutting device.
The work is expected to run through July, after which Chubu Electric will begin taking apart structures inside the reactor, the rest of the pressure vessel and the radiation shield.
The dismantling process is the third stage of the decommissioning project at the Hamaoka plant. Chubu Electric plans to commence the dismantling of the No. 1 reactor within fiscal 2025, which begins next month.
Radioactive waste will be stored in the reactor building until the power utility decides where to transfer it. Removal of the reactor building, the fourth stage, is expected to begin in fiscal 2036, and the whole decommissioning process is set to be completed in fiscal 2042.
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