The project entails that one million liters of water will be gradually discharged off the coast of Fukushima, into the Pacific Ocean. The water is contaminated with the radionuclide tritium and comes from rain, groundwater or water injections needed to cool the cores of several Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactors. Those nuclear reactors melted in March 2011, when the nuclear power plant was hit by a tsunami. The tanks that currently store the water will soon no longer be sufficient. That is why there are plans to gradually discharge the water into the sea. Both in Japan and abroad, so-called tritiated water is already deposited in the sea in active nuclear installations.
Neighboring countries China and South Korea and environmental organizations such as Greenpeace have already criticized the project. In addition, local fishermen fear a negative reputation. IAEA emphasizes that the plan, which is due to start in 2023, follows international standards and will not harm the environment. Experts say that tritium is only dangerous to humans if it comes into contact with high concentrations. If the discharge into the sea takes place over several decades, as Tepco intends, such a situation cannot arise. Tepco still has to get approval from the prefecture of Fukushima and from municipalities near the plant.