1st dismantling of nuclear reactor begins in central Japan

Chubu Electric Power Co. began dismantling a nuclear reactor in Shizuoka Prefecture on Monday, making it the country's first commercial reactor to undergo the process, the utility said.The company started the disassembly work by removing the top lid of the pressure vessel of the Hamaoka plant's No. 2 unit in Omaezaki. Dismantling is considered the third of the four phases in decommissioning nuclear installations.The lid, with a diameter of about 6 meters, about 3 meters in height and about 80 centimeters in thickness, was removed by a crane.Since a disposal site for burying radioactive wast…READ FULL ARTICLE