Japan is looking to delay the release of water from the Fukushima plant

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Suspension

TOKYO — Japan has revised the timing of the planned release into the sea of ​​treated but radioactive wastewater at the Fukushima nuclear power plant to “around spring or summer,” indicating a delay from the initial target for this spring, after taking into account the release tunnel progress and the need for Gain popular support.

The government and the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Holdings, announced in April 2021 a plan to begin releasing treated wastewater into the sea starting in spring 2023. They say more than 1 million tons of water is stored in the plant’s roughly 1,000 tanks. They obstruct their shutdown and risk leakage in the event of a major earthquake or tsunami.

Under the current plan, TEPCO will transport the treated water via pipeline from tanks to a coastal facility, where it will be diluted with seawater and sent through an undersea tunnel, currently under construction, to an offshore outlet. The company has acknowledged the possibility that severe winter weather and sea conditions could delay tunnel progress.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters Friday that the government has adopted a revised action plan, which includes enhanced efforts to ensure safety, measures to financially support the local fishing industry, and a new launch target “around spring or summer this year.”

TEPCO President Tomoaki Kobayakawa said that despite the government’s new timing for wastewater discharge, his company still aims to have the facility ready by spring. He also acknowledged the lack of local understanding regarding the release and pledged to continue efforts to mitigate safety concerns.

A massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011 destroyed the cooling systems at the Fukushima plant, causing three reactors to melt and release large amounts of radiation. Since then, water used to cool the damaged reactor core, which remains highly radioactive, has seeped into the basements of the reactor buildings and has been collected, treated, and stored in tanks.

The release plan has been strongly opposed by fishermen, locals and Japan’s neighbors, including China and South Korea. Fukushima residents worry that their agricultural and fishing reputations will suffer further damage.

Most of the radioactivity is removed from the water during processing, but tritium cannot be removed and low levels of some other radionuclides also remain. The government and TEPCO say the environmental and health impacts will be minimal as the water will be released slowly after further treatment and dilution with large volumes of seawater.

Some scientists say the impact of long-term low-dose exposure to tritium and other radionuclides on the environment and humans is still unknown and the release plan should be delayed. They say that tritium affects humans more when ingested in fish.

Japan is cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency to increase safety, transparency and understanding of the water discharge plan. A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency that has visited Japan several times in the past year for talks and factory inspections will pay another visit in January to meet with nuclear regulators and will issue a final report before the planned launch.

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