Japan’s government yesterday mapped out a plan to release contaminated water from the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant into the sea, including compensation standards for local industry and the compilation of a safety assessment report.
Japan in April said that it would discharge more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water in stages after treatment and dilution, starting in about the spring of 2023.
The April announcement provoked concerns from local fishers, and objections from China and South Korea.
Photo: EPA-EFE
Earlier this month, the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) outlined detailed plans for the disposal, including building an underwater tunnel to release the water.
Under the government scheme, Japan aims to set standards for compensation for damage caused by what it described as harmful rumors on local industries such as fishing, tourism and agriculture, while reinforcing monitoring capability and transparency to avoid reputational damage.
Japan also expects the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to compile an interim safety assessment next year, based on its review over the safety of the treated water, competence of local analytical laboratories and regulatory frameworks, it said.
In an effort to improve transparency to gain the trust of the international community, Japan in April asked the IAEA to conduct a review to assess and advise on the handling of the water.
A decade after a massive earthquake and tsunami ravaged the country’s northeastern coast, disabling the plant and causing the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, nearly 1.3 million tonnes of contaminated water has accumulated at the site.
The water is stored in tanks at an annual cost of about ￥100 billion (US$870 million) and space is running out.
Japan has said that the release is necessary to press ahead with the complex decommissioning of the plant.
It says that similarly filtered water is routinely released from nuclear plants around the world.
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