Tokyo Electric Power Company, or TEPCO, on Thursday morning suspended preparatory work for the test retrieval of nuclear fuel debris from one of the reactors at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The suspension came after an issue was found with the installation of a removal device.
The plant operator has been planning the test retrieval of nuclear fuel debris from one of the plant’s reactors that suffered meltdowns in 2011.
TEPCO says the preparations will not resume within the day. It is expected to reschedule the process.
It is the first attempt to take out fuel debris in the 13 and a half years since an earthquake and tsunami triggered the meltdowns. It is believed that the test results will likely affect the future process of reactor decommissioning work.