Tokyo Electric Power Co. launched a full-scale survey of the heavily damaged reactor at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant amid a long-standing nuclear energy debate.

Reports from the Asahi Shimbun say TEPCO will survey the condition of the containment vessel, including measuring radiation levels and temperatures of gases. TEPCO plans to collect water inside the container to study radioactive concentration levels.

Earlier attempts to study the damages have been hampered by structural risks and high radiation levels. TEPCO had to install a second camera on the side of the containment vessel to determine that water used to cool the melted fuel accumulated at the bottom. Officials were unable to determine the water level.

“It seems we have not yet been able to see damage to large pieces of equipment,” senior TEPCO official Masayuki Ono told Asahi Shimbun.