The operator of a nuclear power plant in central Japan has begun dismantling a reactor unit that is being decommissioned.



Chubu Electric Power Company says the work on the No. 2 reactor began at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Shizuoka Prefecture on Monday.



A reactor at a commercial nuclear power plant has never been dismantled in Japan before.



Chubu Electric says workers used a crane to remove the lid of the pressure vessel. It reports it will use large cutting equipment to dismantle the pressure vessel and the container that surrounds it.



The operator began decommissioning the plant's No.1 and No. 2 light water reactors in 2009. It has removed the turbine, nuclear fuel, and other peripheral facilities so far.



Both reactor units are due to be dismantled by fiscal 2035. The decommissioning process is expected to be completed in fiscal 2042.



Chubu Electric estimates that it will cost about 37.9 billion yen, or around 250 million dollars, to decommission the No.1 unit. The company believes it will cost roughly 46.2 billion yen, or approximately 310 million dollars, to decommission the No. 2 unit.



The operator estimates that about 20,000 tons of low-level radioactive waste will be generated during the process. Metals and concrete will be among the waste materials produced. Chubu Electric says it will keep the waste safe within the plant's buildings until a disposal site has been chosen.