7800t Contaminated Water Discharge... Tokyo Electric Power "No Problem"
Second Discharge Planned After 3 Weeks of Inspection
The first phase of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant contaminated water ocean discharge has been completed. Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) stated that this discharge was carried out as planned without any equipment malfunctions, and after a three-week inspection, they plan to proceed with the second phase of discharge.
On this day, NHK reported that the first phase of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant contaminated water ocean discharge, which began on the 24th of last month, was completed around 12:15 PM.
So far, TEPCO has diluted about 460 tons of contaminated water daily with a large amount of seawater and discharged it through an approximately 1 km long underwater tunnel. The tritium concentration during discharge was regulated to be below 1,500 becquerels (Bq) per liter (ℓ).
TEPCO announced that there were no issues such as interruptions due to equipment malfunctions, and that they discharged 7,800 tons from 10 tanks as planned during this first phase.
They also added that they conduct daily analyses of tritium concentrations in seawater at 10 locations within 3 km of the nuclear power plant, and the highest detected value so far is 10 Bq per liter, which is significantly below the level at which TEPCO would decide to stop the discharge.
TEPCO’s criteria for stopping discharge are if tritium levels exceed 700 Bq per liter within 3 km of the plant, or 30 Bq per liter at points farther than that.
Having completed the first phase of discharge, TEPCO will conduct equipment inspections over approximately the next three weeks. Once inspections are complete and preparations are ready, they plan to begin the second phase of discharge. NHK reported that "TEPCO plans to discharge the equivalent of 40 tanks in four rounds this year."
Japan plans to continue discharging contaminated water until March next year, releasing a total of 31,200 tons. This amount corresponds to about 2.3% of the contaminated water stored at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
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