"Japan Likely to Discharge Fukushima Contaminated Water into Seawater 1km from Nuclear Plant"

Tokyo Electric Power Company, Release Expected to Begin in 2023

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), which is working on the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant where a massive radioactive material leak occurred, has reportedly decided to discharge contaminated water containing the radioactive substance tritium into the sea about 1 km away from the plant.

On the 25th, Asahi Shimbun and Yomiuri Shimbun reported that "TEPCO reviewed two options: discharging the contaminated water directly from the Fukushima plant adjacent to the coast, and discharging it into the sea at a certain distance from the coast using pipelines, and decided to release it at a certain distance away."

The Japanese government decided in April this year to filter the contaminated water containing radioactive materials from the Fukushima plant through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and release it into the ocean, and TEPCO has been reviewing specific discharge methods accordingly.

According to TEPCO, using ALPS makes it possible to remove 62 types of radioactive materials including cesium.

The Japanese government and TEPCO refer to the water filtered by ALPS as "treated water."

However, not all radioactive materials can be removed, and substances such as tritium remain in the water filtered by ALPS.

Japanese media reported that TEPCO will officially announce on the 25th its plan to install pipes from the plant to the sea to discharge the contaminated water underwater.

If procedures such as seabed rock surveys, facility construction, and regulatory approval proceed as planned, discharge is expected to begin in spring 2023.

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