Nuclear ruin Fukushima: The cooling water from the nuclear power plant may soon be discharged into the sea

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The operator of the damaged nuclear power plant, Tepco, received the corresponding certificate on Friday that the power plants have passed the inspections. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had previously agreed.

There is no exact date yet for the initiation, but the cabinet intends to do so in the summer. Local fishermen continue to oppose it. China also rejects the plan and wants to tighten import controls on Japanese food.

In 2011, an earthquake and tsunami caused a core meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The reactors must be further cooled with water stored in tanks. According to Tepco, space is now running out.

South Korea, on the other hand, concluded after its own independent investigation that the discharge of the treated cooling water from Fukushima into the sea is likely to have only an insignificant effect on its own waters. In a final report, the Seoul government assumes that exposure to radiation will be extremely low. Japan’s plans were in line with the IAEA and other global standards, Government Policy Coordination Office Minister Ban Moon Kyu said ahead of IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi’s arrival in Seoul.

At a press conference to conclude his visit to Japan, Grossi said public concern was normal. “If you see that the results are correct and no one is lying to you, maybe confidence will be restored,” Grossi said confidently. The Japanese government wants to continue talks with local fishermen, among others, to convince them of the safety of the controversial project.

China, meanwhile, wants to stick to the existing import ban on food from ten Japanese prefectures, including Fukushima, the Chinese customs made clear. At the same time, according to a statement, they wanted to prevent “radioactively contaminated Japanese food” from reaching China.

Before the planned deposit, the water is purified. The system can filter out 62 radionuclides, except for the radioactive isotope tritium. Tepco wants to dilute the water enough to drop the concentration to about 1,500 becquerels per liter, which is less than one-fortieth of the national safety standard.

The release threshold for tritium in Japan, according to the government, is less than 22 trillion becquerels per year, which is much stricter than other countries, including its two neighbors China and South Korea. For example, in 2021, China’s Yangjiang nuclear power plant released about 112 trillion becquerels of tritium, while South Korea’s Kori power plant released about 49 trillion becquerels of the radioactive material.

(SDA)

Source: Blick