Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is visiting the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, where an explosion occurred during the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011, and inspecting the site where decommissioning work is underway. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The amount of radioactive contaminated water stored at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has exceeded 1.24 million tons.
According to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) on the 7th, approximately 1.247 million tons of contaminated water filtered through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and contaminated water from which strontium has been removed were stored in tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant as of the 18th of last month.
TEPCO and the Japanese government refer to this water as "treated water" rather than contaminated water; however, tritium (a radioactive isotope of hydrogen) remains unfiltered and included. The storage capacity for contaminated water at the plant is about 1.37 million tons, with approximately 91.0% of the capacity currently filled.
The Japanese government is expected to formally decide soon on a plan to dilute and release the contaminated water into the ocean. During his visit to Fukushima the previous day, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga explained that as the number of contaminated water tanks increases, there is a shortage of available space within the nuclear power plant site. He stated, "We must not delay making a decision indefinitely," and added, "The government wants to take responsibility and decide on a disposal method at an appropriate time."
Regarding the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima nuclear accident, he said, "Moving forward, the country wants to take proper responsibility for reconstruction efforts."
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