Nuclear fuel to be transferred from damaged Fukushima energy plant

TOKYO, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- The Japanese power company that owns the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant said Friday it would begin removing nuclear fuel from the facility next week.

The operation at the No. 4 reactor is set to start Monday and continue until the end of 2014, Kyodo News reported.

Some 1,331 spent and 202 unused fuel rods will be removed from a pool in the plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

The fuel will be transferred to another building about 100 yards away that is expected to provide more stable conditions.

The No. 4 unit was the only reactor of four at the facility did not suffer a nuclear meltdown after the region was hit by a massive earthquake and tsunami March 11, 2011. However, its building was severely damaged by a hydrogen explosion.