Aerial view of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. (image: Green Peace)
TOKYO/SEOUL, Apr. 18 (Korea Bizwire) – The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) announced on April 17 that it would commence the second year of releasing treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean starting on April 19.
The utility said it had analyzed samples from the measurement and confirmation tanks containing the wastewater treated by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and confirmed that the water met safety standards for discharge into the sea.
In the 2024 fiscal year, which runs from April 2024 to March 2025, TEPCO plans to release a total of 54,600 tons of treated wastewater over seven batches. The first batch, scheduled to be released by May 7, will involve 7,800 tons, consistent with previous releases, according to the Kyodo News agency.
TEPCO began discharging the treated wastewater into the ocean off the Fukushima plant last August. Over four batches in the 2023 fiscal year, the company released approximately 31,200 tons of the treated radioactive water.
The release of the treated wastewater, which the Japanese government refers to as “processed water,” has been a contentious issue, drawing concerns from local fishing communities and neighboring countries over potential environmental and health impacts.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
