Japan Fukushima Contaminated Water Tank Dismantling Begins... First Time in One and a Half Years Since Discharge

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) in Japan began dismantling contaminated water storage tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant on the 14th, according to reports from Kyodo News and NHK.

AP Yonhap News

This is the first time in a year and a half that tanks emptied by disposing of contaminated water have been dismantled since the start of ocean discharge of contaminated water in August 2023.

The contaminated water storage tanks are cylindrical, approximately 9 meters in diameter and about 12 meters in height. Each tank has a capacity of 700 tons.

TEPCO plans to install facilities related to nuclear fuel debris from the accident at the site secured by dismantling the contaminated water storage tanks.

Among more than 1,000 contaminated water storage tanks, TEPCO plans to dismantle 12 tanks that were emptied after completing contaminated water discharge between May and July last year by the end of March next year. It is expected to take 2 to 3 weeks to dismantle one tank.

However, there are concerns that radioactive dust may scatter during the tank dismantling work. A TEPCO official stated, "We will proceed with dismantling prioritizing safety by verifying each procedure one by one."

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