Tokyo, Apr. 16 (BNA):  Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), operator of the disabled Fukushima nuclear power plant, has launched a second test to retrieve a small amount of nuclear fuel debris from one of the reactors.

According to Japan's public broadcaster, the company plans to use a similar method to the first test by inserting a thin, tube-like device into the containment vessel to collect several grams of debris accumulated at the bottom.

TEPCO stated that, if the operation proceeds smoothly, the sample could be extracted from the vessel as early as next week, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

An estimated 880 tonnes of melted fuel mixed with structural parts remain in reactors 1, 2, and 3.  Removing the debris is considered the most difficult step in decommissioning the plant due to persistently high radiation levels.

In November, a nuclear debris sample was retrieved from the containment vessel for the first time since the 2011 incident, with approximately 0.7 grams collected following camera and equipment issues that caused delays and suspension of the operation.

H.F, A.A