Japan's TEPCO halts preparations to remove nuclear debris from Fukushima plant
Adds details in paragraphs 2-7; changes sourcing
TOKYO, Aug 22 (Reuters) -Japan's Tokyo Electric Power 9501.T has suspended preparation work for the test removal of nuclear fuel debris from the tsunami-stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant, a company spokesperson said.
The preparatory work was suspended due to an error in the installation of the extraction equipment and it is unclear when the work, the first of its kind since the accident in 2011, may resume, he added.
The work was initially planned to start in 2021, but was pushed back due to delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the spokesperson.
The debris, which consist of nuclear fuel and parts of the plant's infrastructure, is estimated to weigh around 880 tons and is still radioactive, said public broadcaster NHK which first reported the news on Thursday.
"The trial removal of nuclear fuel debris is the most important phase of the decommissioning process, so it is necessary to proceed with extremely safely," NHK quoted TEPCO's President Tomoaki Kobayakawa as saying on Thursday.
Last August, TEPCO started to release treated radioactive water from the Fukushima plant, part of the decomissioning process, which resulted in a ban of Japanese seafood imports by China, Japan's top seafood buyer at a time.
Russia has followed China to ban seafood imports from Japan over safety concerns that Tokyo has said are scientifically unjustified.
Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama and Yuka Obayashi;
Writing by Katya Golubkova;
Editing by Kim Coghill
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