Operator of Japan's Fukushima plant wins rare praise, hurdles remain

Naomi Hirose, President of Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) and chief of its Nuclear Reform Special Task Force, is seen through a video camera as he speaks to reporters after the 5th Nuclear Reform Monitoring Committee at the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) head office in Tokyo December 2, 2013. REUTERS/Yuya Shino

TOKYO (Reuters) - The operator of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant won rare praise from monitors on Monday for its efforts to decommission the site, but the specialists also said the company still faced steep challenges, particularly in managing contaminated water.

A huge earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 triggered three meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station, the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986, and exposed a lack of preparation by Tokyo Electric Power Co, or Tepco.