Coolant Leak at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant in Japan

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A coolant leak occurred in the frozen pipes installed to reduce the amount of contaminated water generated at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, where an explosion accident occurred in 2011.

According to NHK on the 10th, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, announced that coolant appears to have leaked from the frozen pipes installed around the nuclear power plant buildings, and the amount is estimated to be about 1,600 liters.

Frozen pipes are devices used to create a "frozen soil impermeable wall" to block the flow of groundwater.

The frozen soil impermeable wall is a kind of ice wall formed by installing pipes containing coolant into the ground around the nuclear power plant and freezing the surrounding soil and moisture together.

TEPCO's plan is to block groundwater inflow to reduce the generation of contaminated water, as groundwater flowing into the underground of the nuclear power plant building mixes with radioactive materials inside and becomes contaminated water.

There has been controversy about the effectiveness and feasibility of the frozen soil impermeable wall since the planning stage, and during installation, areas that did not freeze completely appeared, leading to trial and error such as injecting cement.

TEPCO previously reported to authorities that in 2015, about 490 tons of contaminated water were generated daily, but after the frozen soil impermeable wall was completed in 2018, the amount of contaminated water generation decreased to 170 tons per day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.