Japan begins dismantling a commercial nuclear reactor for 1st time

A Japanese power company on Monday began dismantling a nuclear reactor in Japan's central Shizuoka Prefecture, local media reported.

This makes it the first commercial reactor in the country to undergo the process.

Chubu Electric Power Company began the disassembly process by removing the top lid of the pressure vessel from the Hamaoka plant's No. 2 unit in the city of Omaezaki, according to the Kyodo news agency.

The dismantling process is regarded as the third of the four phases in the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. The company plans to start the fourth phase, demolishing the reactor building, in 2036 and complete the decommissioning process by 2042.

The lid, measuring approximately 6 meters (19.6 feet) in diameter, 3 meters (9.8 feet) in height, and 80 centimeters (31.4 inches) in thickness, was removed by a crane.

The company said that it will store the waste inside the reactor building, as a disposal site for burying the radioactive waste from the dismantling process has not yet been chosen.

In December, the Nuclear Regulation Authority granted approval for the utility to proceed to the third phase of decommissioning the Hamaoka reactors No. 1 and No. 2.

Chubu Electric began preparations to dismantle Unit No. 2 first, as it secured a site to temporarily store its radioactive waste before proceeding with Unit No. 1.

The No. 2 reactor began operation in 1978 but stopped operating in 2009.