32 months after the disaster in Fukushima, the plant's operator, Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco), will begin removing more than 1,500 fuel assemblies from the spent fuel pool and we have been left with no delusions of just how dangerous a job this is.
Some of the risks involved are if the assemblies collide or are exposed or if the water levels drop in the pool, the fuel would rapidly heat up releasing tonnes radiation into the air.
Then there is the risk of some of the uranium pellets inside the fuel rods being damaged with the same results of leaking radiation and throw in that pool is still littered with hazardous pieces of debris caused by the blast.
A newly built crane will manoeuvre the fuel and must be operated manually because, and here is where the problem may lay, the assemblies are not exactly where they should be.
Radiation levels in those reactors are still too high for humans to enter and attempts to use robots to determine the exact location of the melted fuel failed.
Instead, officials are placing their faith in the law of gravity, assuming that the most hazardous material has sank to the bottom of the pool.
Amazing just how close the name of the plant resembles what has been happening over there. Over to you Sir Isaac Newton and whichever of the 800 Gods that Japan has is in charge of stopping nuclear catastrophes.
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