FUkushima Nuke Cleanup Plans Range from 10 to 30 Years - 17th Apr 2011

TOKYO – Even before the troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has been brought under control, two conglomerates vying for contracts in an eventual cleanup are estimating that the effort could take 10 years – or 30.

The widely divergent outlooks underscore the basic uncertainties clouding any forecast for Fukushima. It is far from clear when the cooling system will be restored and radiation emission halted; how soon workers can access some parts of the plant; and how bad the damage to the reactors, their fuel and nearby stored fuel turns out to be. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has warned that at least one reactor's fuel may even have leaked out of the reactor pressure vessel.

A global team led by Hitachi said Thursday that it would take at least three decades to return the site to what engineers refer to as a "green field" state, meaning that it is within legal limits of radiation for any residents. Toshiba, Japan's biggest supplier of nuclear reactors, said it could take as little as 10 years.

Read more: A global team led by Hitachi said Thursday that it would take at least three decades to return the site to what engineers refer to as a "green field" state, meaning that it is within legal limits of radiation for any residents. Toshiba, Japan's biggest supplier of nuclear reactors, said it could take as little as 10 years. Read More