The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings said it will need 12 to 15 years of preparation – or until 2037 or later – before starting the full-scale removal of melted fuel debris.

A full-scale retrieval of melted fuel debris at the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant is likely to be delayed to fiscal 2037 or later, from the initially planned early 2030s, a supervising body of decommissioning work said Tuesday.