Starting Thursday: Japan dumps 1.3 million liters of cooling water at Fukushima into the sea

Twelve years after the massive meltdown at Fukushima, Japan is beginning its drilling process Controversial introduction Processing of cooling water from the Fukushima nuclear ruins to the sea. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced on Tuesday that waste disposal will begin on Thursday at the earliest. His government says the nuclear relic site does not have space to store cooling water, which is hampering dismantlement work. The conservative prime minister said that draining the waters into the Pacific is something that “cannot be postponed.” Japan Hunting associations They expressed their categorical refusal until the last day. There are also concerns and criticisms in countries like China.

In March 2011, a strong earthquake and tsunami caused the core of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant to collapse. The reactors must be further cooled using water stored in more than 1,000 mega tanks. But now, according to operator Tepco, there is no place for it. In addition, long-term storage at the site threatens to hamper nuclear fallout decommissioning work. She added that there is also a risk of leaks.

Dumping takes 30 years

Therefore, more than 1.3 million liters of water will be directed to the sea through a specially constructed kilometer-long tunnel in the Pacific Ocean. This is expected to take about 30 years. However, before dumping into the Pacific Ocean, the contaminated cooling water is first treated. However, the filtration system cannot filter out the tritium radioactive isotope. So TEPCO wants to dilute the water so that the tritium concentration drops to 1,500 becquerels per liter, which is less than forty of the national safety standard.

The Japanese Nuclear Regulatory Agency recently gave the go-ahead. The International Atomic Energy Agency had earlier approved the dumping plans. Japan meets international safety standards. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the impacts on people and the environment are “negligible”. Experts note that nuclear power plants around the world have routinely discharged contaminated cooling water into the sea for decades. However, fisheries associations in Japan fear that the reputation of their products will be further tarnished. You are trying to recover from a major meltdown at work.

(Department of Political Affairs/Chapter)View comments