Japan to resume Fukushima NPP water release in spring
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The release is anticipated to occur in seven stages into the ocean.
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Storage tanks for contaminated water at the Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Okuma, Fukushima prefecture, January 20, 2023. (AFP)
Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, reportedly intends to discharge approximately 54,600 tonnes of treated water from the facility during the fiscal year 2024.
The fiscal year spans from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, according to Thursday's report by Japanese news agency Kyodo. The release is anticipated to occur in seven stages into the ocean.
Simultaneously, the operator has opted to adjust the timetable for sampling nuclear fuel that melted from the second reactor of the plant during the accident. The decision was attributed to the necessity of revising technical plans, as per the report.
Originally scheduled for completion by the end of March 2024, the sampling and analysis will now be conducted at a later date, with the latest deadline set for October 2024.
The postponement of sample collection marks the third instance of rescheduling. In the initial plans, the collection was originally slated for 2021.
1,200 tons of dead fish washed up on Japan's shores
Thousands of dead fish washed up on Japan's shores, on December 16, due to an unknown phenomenon that left authorities confused.
According to officials, around 1,200 tons of dead sardines and mackerels washed up along a kilometer of the Japanese island of Hokkaido's shore. Authorities warned against consumption, as the cause of death is yet to be determined.
A couple of days earlier, Nakiri, a town miles away from Hokkaido, witnessed a similar phenomenon when around 40 tons of dead sardines washed up on its shore.
The Daily Mail hypothesized a connection between the phenomenon of dead fish and the contamination of Japan's waters by the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, a theory firmly rejected by the Japanese government.
This came after fishermen complained and opposed the dumping of wastewater from the plant into Japanese seas that began in August.
A flashback
Back in October, Japan started releasing the second load of treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP) into the ocean.
The NPP's operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), started releasing part of the 1.34 million tons of the treated wastewater back in August, which prompted local and international condemnation.
In March 2011, Fukushima suffered one of the world's worst nuclear disasters since Chornobyl after a tsunami rocked the islands.
About 1.33 million cubic meters of groundwater, rainwater, and water that was used for cooling the three damaged reactors at the Fukushima site are now being released.
To remove the radioactive elements, plant operator TEPCO treated the water using its ALPS processing systems, which several neighboring countries have expressed skepticism regarding the system's reliability.
Read more: Beijing to ban certain foods from Japan over wastewater release plans
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