According to media reports, a formal decision on this matter will be made later this month.
In the area of the nuclear power plant destroyed in the 2011 earthquake Fukushima over 1 million tonnes are stored in large tanks contaminated waterwhich was then pumped into the reactor building to reduce the effects of the disaster.
This composition makes dismantling of the power plant difficult, which will take many years to come. The operator of the complex is also concerned that the stored water reservoirs could be damaged during the next earthquake, so he wants to pump the contaminated water out into the Pacific. This plan was agreed, inter alia, with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The manager ensures that the stored water contains only radioactive tritium, which in small amounts does not pose a threat. He points out that the water has been treated using an advanced liquid processing system to remove most contaminants other than the relatively low-toxic tritium, and is stored in tanks on site.
Local fishermen and residents are opposed to the plans to release the contaminated water into the sea, fearing that the demand for seafood caught in these waters will drop even further. South Korea, which now bans imports from the area, has also repeatedly expressed concern about the environmental impact of the discharge.
According to the Kyodo agency, it is expected that by the summer of 2022 there will be no more space in the tanks for storing water, and currently it grows about 170 tons per day. In September this year. the amount of stored water amounted to 1.23 million tons, filling 1044 tanks.
(mt)
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