The Atomic Energy Council (AEC) plans to establish a warning system to monitor the waters around Taiwan following Japan’s decision to discharge radioactive water stored at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant into the ocean.
The AEC made the announcement on Saturday in a report prepared in response to a request from lawmakers about the possible effects of Japan’s plan.
It said it plans to work with the Ocean Affairs Council to establish the warning system over the next one-and-a-half years.
Photo: AP
Japan said it would begin discharging radioactive water into the Pacific in two years.
The system would monitor changes in ocean currents and forecast the amount of tritium in seawater once Japan unveils more details about its plan, the AEC said.
Tritium would be the only radioactive substance remaining in the wastewater following treatment, it said.
The water is being used to cool melted fuel rods in three nuclear reactors that were damaged in a tsunami triggered by the March 11, 2011, Tohoku earthquake.
The Japanese government announced its plan following a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. It sparked an outcry in Taiwan, China and South Korea, which fear the radioactive water will damage the marine environment and harm their fishing industries.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has lodged a “solemn representation” concerning Japan’s decision and has conveyed the concerns of local civic groups to Tokyo.
However, the US has supported the plan, saying that Tokyo “appears to have adopted an approach in accordance with globally accepted nuclear safety standards.”
The AEC report said the radioactive water could carry pollutants to the waters around Taiwan as it mixes with the ocean currents surrounding the nation.
However, the effects would depend on how the wastewater is released, the size and frequency of the discharges, the distance between release points and ocean currents, and seasonal factors, the AEC said.
The AEC said it has also teamed up with the Council of Agriculture to devise a program to monitor tritium levels and take marine samples to analyze fish harvests in the waters around Taiwan.
It said it would exchange information with Japan and conduct an assessment to ensure that tritium levels are capped in accordance with global nuclear safety standards.
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