Dumping Cooling Water: Green Light for Japan’s Fukushima Plan

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IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday. The planned discharge of the water would have “negligible” environmental impacts, Grossi said, citing the seawater, fish and sediment. Shortly before, he had presented Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with his authority’s final report on plans to dump the contaminated water.

The Japanese government will first review the IAEA’s assessment of its disposal plans before making a final decision on when to release water into the sea. She wants to start discharging it into the Pacific Ocean this summer.

On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake and massive tsunami triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant with core meltdowns. More than twelve years later, the destroyed reactors still have to be cooled with water.

Due to infiltrating rainwater and groundwater, the amount of irradiated water is increasing day by day. More than 1.3 million tons of it is now stored in about 1,000 tanks. But now, according to operator Tepco, space is running out. The water must therefore be filtered through a tunnel that goes about a kilometer into the sea and discharged diluted.

However, the technical ALPS system cannot filter out the radioactive isotope tritium. According to Tepco and the IAEA, there is no danger yet, as the water is diluted and small amounts of tritium are harmless to humans and the environment. Experts point out that nuclear power plants around the world have been routinely discharging contaminated cooling water into the sea for decades.

However, local fishermen, fearing damage to their reputation and business, are still resisting Japan’s removal plans. There are also concerns about possible environmental damage from dumping in countries such as South Korea, China and New Zealand.

South Korea fears that the dumping will have negative consequences for the marine environment and human health. The Seoul government has so far stressed its intention to maintain the import ban on fishery products from Japan until people’s concerns about the discharge of polluted water are resolved. Grossi travels to Seoul on Friday. (SDA)

Source: Blick