AlHijjah 25, 1434, Oct 30, 2013, SPA -- Japanese regulators gave a green light Wednesday to the removal of about 1,530 nuclear fuel rod assemblies from a reactor at the ravaged Fukushima plant, dpa reported. The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) said operator Tokyo Electric Power Co could start taking out the fuel assemblies as early as mid-November, from the pool inside the building of reactor 4 at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The pool, which is 30 metres above ground, has been left uncovered since a hydrogen explosion on March 15, 2011 blew off the upper part of the outer wall of the building. Tokyo Electric will use a crane on top of the damaged reactor building to remove nuclear fuel rods. The move "is a big step in the process of decommissioning the reactor," NRA commissioner Toyoshi Fuketa was quoted by Jiji News agency as saying. "We can reduce risks by moving them to the common pool."
