TOKYO - Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on Thursday decided to halt preparatory work for the test retrieval of nuclear fuel debris from one of the crippled reactors at the disaster-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The TEPCO was set to attempt to remove a small amount of melted fuel from the No 2 unit at the plant in Fukushima Prefecture on Thursday, but setup errors were discovered during preparations in the debris retrieval device, according to the utility.

The company has not said when it will try again, noting that the preparations would not resume within the day.

It is the first such attempt to take out fuel debris in the 13 and a half years since the Fukushima nuclear plant was devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami.

According to the plan, the TEPCO aims to retrieve up to 3 grams of debris using a telescopic device equipped with a gripper tool. The device can extend up to 22 meters and access the debris through a penetration point in the primary containment vessel.

On March 11, 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami that hit Japan's northeast led to core meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant operated by TEPCO, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident, the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale.

Among the three reactors, No 1, 2 and 3 reactors, which suffered core meltdowns in the accident, the TEPCO chose the No 2 reactor as the first to start the fuel debris retrieval work as its reactor building was the only one not to suffer a hydrogen explosion.

An estimated 880 tons of fuel debris remain in the three reactors. The experimental removal of the deadly debris was initially planned for 2021 but was postponed three times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and technical difficulties.