"Fukushima Nuclear Plant Contaminated Water Facility Construction Nears Completion"...Discharge Expected After July at the Earliest

As the construction of the contaminated water discharge facility at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant nears completion, local reports suggest that the discharge could begin as early as July.

Fukushima nuclear power plant contaminated water storage tank. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 22nd, Kyodo News reported that Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) had completed tunnel excavation work up to 1,017 meters of the 1,030-meter tunnel to be used for discharging contaminated water, and had entered the final phase of construction passing through the tank that will hold water before the discharge.

TEPCO began construction of the contaminated water discharge facility in August last year and planned to complete it by June this year. Earlier, TEPCO had announced plans to start discharging contaminated water from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant around spring or summer this year.

The Japanese government and TEPCO explain that when the contaminated water is purified using the multi-nuclide removal equipment, most radioactive substances such as cesium are removed. However, even with this equipment, tritium cannot be filtered out. Neighboring countries such as South Korea and China, as well as Pacific island nations, have expressed concerns about the discharge of contaminated water.