On 28 October 2011 , the Japanese Atomic Energy Commission presented a timetable in a draft report titled , '' “ how to scrap the Fukushima reactors ” '' . Within 10 years , a start should be made with the retrieval of the melted fuel within the reactors . First , the containment vessels of reactors 1 , 2 and 3 should be repaired , then all should be filled with water to prevent radiation releases . Decommissioning would take more than 30 years , because the pressure vessels of the reactor vessels are damaged also . After the accident at Three Mile Island in 1979 , some 70 percent of the fuel rods had melted . There , the retrieval of the fuel was started in 1985 , and completed in 1990 . The work at Fukushima was expected to take significantly longer because of the far greater damage and the fact that 4 reactors would need to be decommissioned all at the same time
accident at Three Mile Island
Three Mile Island accident
Fukushima disaster cleanup