DThe company operating the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant hopes to discharge more than one million tons of treated wastewater into the sea through an underground pipeline.As the company said, this one-kilometer-long line will be built under the sea floor Dongdian Announced on Wednesday. The Tokyo government decided in April to drain the water within two years.
The government argues that it is safe to discharge water into the Pacific Ocean because almost all radioactive elements have been filtered out. Neighboring countries and fisheries associations are protesting these plans. Tokyo Electric Power Company said it plans to start construction before March next year. Need to wait for feasibility study and government approval in advance.
Fishermen worry about competitive disadvantage
1.27 million tons of treated water will be pumped into the Pacific through the tunnel. This includes the water needed to cool nuclear facilities after a nuclear accident, as well as rainwater and groundwater from radioactively contaminated sites. Currently, this water is stored in more than 1,000 water tanks at the Fukushima nuclear power plant site. According to the operating company Tepco, storage capacity will start to run out in the fall of 2022.
Fishermen in this area worry that after the sewage tunnel is put into use, they will no longer be able to dispose of their catch, or they can only dispose of it at a low price.
Akira Ono, a nuclear power plant dismantling commissioner, said that draining it through the tunnel means that the water will not be washed back to land. If necessary, TEPCO promises to pay compensation. The company also agreed to let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspect the facility.
The one by the sea nuclear power plant Soon after the severe earthquake on March 11, 2011, Fukushima was hit by a tsunami water wall nearly 15 meters high. The cooling system of the power plant failed, and three of the six reactors were melted down. This disaster turned the surrounding areas into ghost towns. This is the worst nuclear disaster since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.
