MOSCOW, February 3 (Sputnik) — Experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will arrive at the Japanese Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant on February 9 to monitor decommissioning and cleanup, the organization said in a statement on Tuesday.
"The mission will provide advice on safety and technological aspects of decommissioning, waste management and other related activities, as well as on the planning and implementation of decommissioning and pre-decommissioning work," the statement read.
The IAEA delegation will also asses advancements made since their previous visits in 2013.
28 January 2015, 20:12 GMT
The mission consists of 15 experts and comes to Japan on the invitation of the Japanese government. The visit will last from February 9 to 17. The IAEA experts will meet officials from the Japanese Agency for Natural Resources and Energy and TEPCO corporation, operator of the power plant, and deliver a preliminary report to the Japanese government, according to the statement.
On March 11, 2011, the Fukushima nuclear power plant was hit by a powerful earthquake and a subsequent tsunami, which caused a meltdown of three of the plant's six nuclear reactors, resulting in radiation leaks into the atmosphere, soil and sea. Cleanup efforts could take up to 40 years, according to Japanese authorities.
