Author: Yamaguchi Banri
Associated Press
TOKYO (AP) — Construction on the facilities needed to discharge treated radioactive wastewater into the sea from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant next year is scheduled to begin Aug. 4 despite opposition from the local fishing community.
Factory workers began building a pipeline to carry wastewater from hillside storage tanks to coastal facilities, before discharge is scheduled for next year, according to plant operator TEPCO Holdings.
The excavation of the undersea tunnel will also begin on August 4.
Ahead of the construction of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority last month formally approved a detailed wastewater discharge plan submitted by Tokyo Electric Power Co. in December.
The government announced last year its decision to release the wastewater as a necessary step in the ongoing decommissioning of the plant.
A major earthquake and tsunami in 2011 knocked out the cooling system at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing a triple meltdown and the release of massive amounts of radiation. Water used to cool the cores of three damaged and highly radioactive reactors had leaked into the basement of the reactor building but was collected and stored in storage tanks.
TEPCO and government officials said the water would be further treated to levels well below dischargeable standards, with negligible impact on the environment and health.
Of the more than 60 isotopes selected for processing, all but one, tritium, will be reduced to meet safety standards, they said.
Local fishing communities and neighbouring countries have expressed concerns about the potential health hazards of radioactive wastewater and the reputational damage to local produce, and have opposed the release.
The environmental and human effects of long-term, low-dose exposure to tritium, as well as other isotopes, are still unknown and it is too early to release, scientists say.
Contaminated water is stored in about 1,000 tanks, which require a lot of space in the factory complex. Officials said they had to be dismantled so that facilities could be built for decommissioning. The tanks are expected to reach a capacity of 1.37 million tonnes in autumn 2023.
TEPCO said it plans to pipe the treated and releasable water from storage tanks to coastal pools, where it will be diluted with seawater, and then routed through an undersea tunnel about 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) away to minimize Reduce impacts on local fisheries and the environment.
TEPCO and the government have obtained approval from the heads of Futaba and Okuma, the towns where the plant is located, but local residents and fishing communities remain opposed and the process may still be delayed. Current plans call for a gradual release of the treated water starting next spring, a process that will take decades.
On August 3, Fukushima Prefecture Governor Masao Uchihori and two mayors visited Tokyo and asked Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Koichi Hagida to ensure safety and prevent further damage to the reputation of Fukushima fishery products.
Akira Ono, TEPCO’s chief retired officer, pledged to do his best to ensure safety and understanding.
“We are aware of the various viewpoints on the reputational impact and security issues (releases) and we will continue to explain them thoroughly to stakeholders,” he said.
Weather and sea conditions could delay the completion of the facility until summer 2023, TEPCO said.
Japan has sought help from the International Atomic Energy Agency to ensure water discharges meet international safety standards and to reassure local fishing and other communities as well as neighbors including China and South Korea against the plan.
IAEA experts who visited the plant earlier this year said Japan was taking appropriate measures for planned emissions.
