THE first phase of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant wastewater started last august 24, and the discharge will be finished this day September 11.
According to Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the test conducted on the seawater samples near the plant showed the tritium levels were within the safety limits.
With this, TEPCO announced that it has finished its first phase by releasing 7,800 of its planned 1.34 million tons of wastewater into the ocean, although TEPCO did not provide a date for the second phase of discharge.
Furthermore, TEPCO will be conducting inspections for the entire water dilution and discharge facility, as well as reviewing the operational records from the first discharge.
Meanwhile, a leak alarm rang last Wednesday. However, the staff did not found any leak upon their field inspection.
The radioactive water being released into the Pacific Ocean is the water used to cool off the three reactors during its meltdown in 2011 when the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant was devastated by a tsunami and an earthquake.
This wastewater was said to be treated by advanced liquid processing system ALPS– a pumping and filtration system that uses a series of chemical reactions to remove 62 radionuclide’s from contaminated water.
However, the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said ALPS is not able to remove tritium from the contaminated water.
Meanwhile, the Japanese government said aside from tritium, all radioactive elements have been filtered.
However, the tritium levels are within the safe limits and pales in comparison to the release conducted by nuclear plants around the world.
