TOKYO (dpa-AFX) – The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) held talks with the government in Japan ahead of the planned discharge of treated radioactive water from the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea. Director General Rafael Grossi first met with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi on Tuesday. He later intended to present Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with the results of his home’s security review into Japan’s controversial dumping plans. The IAEA was expected to give Japan the green light for ocean disposal.
On March 11, 2011, a severe earthquake and a huge tsunami caused a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant with core meltdowns. More than twelve years later, the destroyed reactors still have to be cooled with water. Due to infiltrating rainwater and groundwater, the amount of irradiated water is increasing every day. More than 1.3 million tons of it are now stored in around 1,000 tanks. But now, according to the operator Tepco, the space is running out. The water is therefore to be filtered through a tunnel that extends around one kilometer into the sea and dumped diluted.
However, the ALPS technical system cannot filter out the tritium isotope. According to Tepco and the IAEA, there is still no danger, since the water is diluted and small amounts of tritium are harmless to people and the environment. In a previous report, the IAEA had already stated that neither it nor other laboratories had detected “additional radionuclides in significant quantities” and that the analysis methods of the operating group Tepco were appropriate and suitable for the purpose.
The government initially wanted to await the IAEA’s verdict before making a final decision on when to discharge water. Environmentalists, local fishermen and neighboring countries like China oppose the dumping. In South Korea, too, there are concerns about possible environmental damage. After his stay in Japan, Grossi will continue to Seoul on Friday./ln/DP/men