The operator of Japan's tsunami-battered Fukushima nuclear plant announced Tuesday it had agreed to share knowledge and experience on decommissioning damaged reactors with Britain's Sellafield.

Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), has struggled with cleaning up the crippled nuclear plant, especially with safely storing radioactive water used to cool reactors, in the years since the 2011 quake-tsunami disaster sent them into meltdown.

Sellafield, in England's far north, was the scene of a 1957 fire that resulted in a radioactive leak, and the company has since built expertise in decommissioning nuclear reactors.

Both companies will benefit from the other's experience in cleaning up after a serious nuclear accident, according to a spokeswoman at the Tokyo company.

"This is the first such agreement between TEPCO and a foreign firm that is also engaged in decommissioning nuclear reactors," she said.

"TEPCO hopes to learn as much as we can from the decades-long expertise of Sellafield."

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Tokyo Electric Power