The operator of the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant has sent mini-drones into one of the three reactors seriously damaged by the 2011 tsunami. Due to the extreme radioactivity and high complexity of the premises, Tepco has still not been able to begin extracting the approximately 800 tonnes of nuclear fuel and debris melted in reactors 1, 2 and 3.
A first extraction test is planned for October. The mammoth work of decontamination and dismantling of the plant is expected to last several more decades.