Status: 01/13/2023 3:17 pm
Twelve years after the Fukushima reactor disaster, the International Atomic Energy Agency has approved a plan to dump more than a million tons of treated water into the sea – even though it contains high levels of tritium.
Japan wants to discharge over a million tonnes of treated water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea this year. The plan, drawn up in 2021, has already been approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), senior government secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said. However, the government will wait for a “comprehensive report” from the UN organization before it is approved, he said.
“We expect the launch to happen in the spring or summer,” said Matsuno. First, the corresponding systems would have to be completed and tested. The government “will make every effort to ensure security,” he said, citing ongoing concerns from neighboring countries and local fishermen.
The Fukushima nuclear power plant, located by the sea, was hit by a tsunami almost 15 meters high shortly after a strong earthquake on March 11, 2011. The plant’s cooling system failed and the core meltdown occurred in three of the six reactors. It was the worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
Water has to be pumped out for space reasons
It is estimated that the decommissioning of the reactors will take up to 40 years. From April to November last year, a daily average of 100,000 liters of contaminated water accumulated. It is made up of cooling water, as well as groundwater, seawater and rainwater that seeps into the area.
To remove various radioactive debris, the water is filtered and sent to storage tanks – so far there are 1.3 million tons of water in place. But space is gradually becoming scarce.
Greenpeace, local fishermen and activists from Japan’s neighboring countries such as South Korea (here on the occasion of “World Oceans Day” 2022 in Seoul) are against dumping treated water from the nuclear power plant. Image: AFP
Waste water contains high levels of tritium
According to the operator TEPCO, the treated water complies with national standards – with the exception of radioactive tritium, an isotope of hydrogen which, according to specialists, is only harmful to human beings in high doses. TEPCO plans to dilute the water to reduce the tritium content and discharge it into the sea through a kilometer-long underwater pipeline over several decades.
The IAEA said the release was in line with international standards and “would not harm the environment”. However, regional neighbors including China and South Korea and environmental organizations such as Greenpeace have criticized the plan.