Iran Energy News Oil, Gas, Petrochemical and Energy Field Specialized Channel
Related Articles
The government asked the International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday to conduct a safety review and announce its view to the world in the event Tokyo decides to dispose of treated radioactive water accumulating at the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant.
The government is considering releasing the water used to cool reactors, which is stored at the Fukushima complex, into the sea as one option, but has yet to make a final decision amid opposition from the local fishing industry, which is concerned about the possible effect on marine products as well as neighboring countries.
In a videoconference, industry minister Hiroshi Kajiyama told IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi that Japan wants the U.N. nuclear watchdog to conduct a scientific and objective review of the disposal method of the water and openly convey its view to the international community, Japanese officials said.
Specifically, Japan requested that the IAEA confirm that the method and facilities used for the water disposal match the body’s safety standards, check radiation data from the surrounding environment and release such findings to the international community, they said.
The Fukushima No. 1 power plant, which suffered core meltdowns due to the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011, is generating massive amounts of radiation-tainted water that have been used to cool the reactors.
The water has been treated using an advanced liquid processing system to remove most contaminants other than relatively less toxic tritium. The water, totaling 1.2 million tons, is stored in tanks on the plant’s premises, but space could run out by the fall of 2022.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said the government will make a decision regarding the water disposal “at an appropriate time.”
But in addition to the local fishing industry, neighboring countries such as China and South Korea have expressed wariness over the discharge of water from the Fukushima plant into the environment.
