Japan to release treated radioactive water from Fukushima plant into the sea
Fukushima nuclear power plant
Under the decommissioning plan, the treated radioactive water stored in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant that got wrecked in the 2011 earthquake will now be released into the sea, come spring next year. The Japanese regulators on Friday approved the plan after receiving a thumbs up from a preliminary as well as a public review process.
The water stored in big tanks at the facility was used to cool the core of the three reactors when the nuclear facility went bust. The water had leaked into the basement of the reactor building but was collected and stored in one place. It is reported that more than 1.3 million tonnes of water is being stored in at least 1000 tanks as of July.
Tokyo Power Electric Company (TEPCO), the company responsible for carrying out the decommissioning of the nuclear plant, needs to get rid of the water to move forward in its plan. However, the water, if released without treatment can cause serious radioactive issues.
Read More:Japanese court orders former executives of Fukushima operator to pay $97 billion in damages
More than 60 harmful isotopes to be filtered
Thus, TEPCO is planning to filter the water of more than 60 harmful isotopes, barring tritium, which is hard to treat. The water will meet all the safety standards and then only be released into the sea. Scientists are still unclear regarding the long-term effects of tritium.
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TEPCO is expected to release the treated water through a pipe to a coastal facility. There, the treated water will be diluted with seawater, only to be sent to an undersea tunnel that will release the water, approximately one kilometre from the site.
To ensure that all stakeholders, as well as neighbouring countries, are on board with the plan, Japan had invited officials from International Atomic Energy Agency to assess the plan. It was only after their approval was received that the plan moved forward.
(With inputs from agencies)
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