TOKYO (Reuters) – Japan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to Tokyo Electric Power’s (Tepco) plan to discharge water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, saying it would there is no security problem.
The NRA plans to make a decision on final approval after a month-long public comment period, said an NRA official, who is handling the matter.
In 2021, the Japanese government approved the discharge of more than one million tons of irradiated water from the site after treatment into the ocean, starting around spring 2023.
This announcement caused concern from local fishermen and objections from neighboring countries, China and South Korea.
The UN’s watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is tasked with conducting safety reviews of the planned release, and the initial ANR approval came as the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, was visiting Japan.
Grossi told Japanese Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda that the IAEA reviews would give the world confidence that the water in question will not have a negative impact on the health of the public, the minister said. industry in a written statement.
Tepco plans to filter the contaminated water to remove the isotopes, leaving only tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from the water. Tepco will then dilute the water until tritium levels are below 1/40th of regulatory limits, before pumping it into the ocean.
Tepco plans to build a tunnel going into the sea for this operation.
Even after NRA approval, Tepco still needs the consent of local communities, including the governor and mayors, before starting construction, a Tepco spokesman said.
The Japanese government and Tepco have said the new facilities will be completed by mid-April next year, with the aim of starting unloading around spring 2023.
Prior to granting initial approval, the NRA considered various factors such as the performance of water dilution equipment with seawater, how to stop water discharge in the event of an anomaly and countermeasures against earthquakes and tsunamis, the official said.