Japan Begins Removing 615 Spent Fuel Assemblies from Fukushima Daiichi Unit 2 on June 2

According to Tokyo Electric Power Company, Japan began removing spent nuclear fuel from Unit 2 at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on June 2. Unit 2 is the third reactor among Units 1-4 to commence this operation, following Units 3 and 4. Workers used cranes to hoist fuel assemblies—each approximately 4 meters long and weighing about 250 kilograms—and submerged them in metal containers measuring 1.4 meters in diameter and 5.6 meters in length.

Unit 2's spent fuel pool currently holds 587 used fuel assemblies and 28 unused assemblies, totaling 615 units. Tokyo Electric Power Company plans to transfer all fuel assemblies to a shared spent fuel pool at the station by the end of the 2028 fiscal year.