TOKYO (AP) – The operator of the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant said on Wednesday it plans to build a submarine tunnel so that massive amounts of treated but still radioactive water can be released into the ocean about 1 kilometer from the plant to avoid interference with local fishing.
The operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, said it hopes to begin releasing water in the spring of 2023. TEPCO says hundreds of storage tanks need to be removed at the plant to make way for the facilities needed for the plant. dismantling of the plant.
An official in charge of the water discharge project, Junichi Matsumoto, said TEPCO will build the submarine tunnel by drilling the bedrock into the seabed near its reactor no. radioactive groundwater in the tunnel.
Growing amounts of radioactive water have been stored in about 1,000 tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant since 2011, when a massive earthquake and tsunami damaged three reactors and the cooling water became contaminated and began to leak. -se. The plant says the tanks will reach their capacity by the end of next year.
The government decided in April to start pouring water, after additional treatment and dilution, into the Pacific Ocean in the spring of 2023 under safety standards set by regulators. Fishermen, residents and neighboring countries, including China and South Korea, have strongly opposed the idea.
Maritime dumping through an oil pipeline enclosed within a concrete tunnel is an attempt to minimize the “reputational damage” that would occur if contaminated water was released near marine life off the coast of Fukushima.
According to the plan released Wednesday, the water will be released to a depth of about 12 meters (40 feet) below the surface of the ocean, said Matsumoto, who works for Fukushima Daiichi Decontamination & Decommissioning Engineering Co. , a company created by TEPCO.
A closed pipe in the submarine tunnel is safer than placing a pipe under the seabed in the event of a major earthquake or tsunami, he said at a news conference.
TEPCO plans to dilute contaminated water with large amounts of seawater to reduce the concentration of radioactive materials below permitted limits. Plant workers should test the water before it is released and examine seawater samples from various locations daily. Japan has obtained the agreement of the International Atomic Energy Agency to cooperate in water sampling and monitoring.
Controlled release, with an annual limit of radioactive materials, will continue for about 30 years or until the dismantling of the plant is completed, Matsumoto said.
TEPCO said it plans to request a safety review of the tunnel plan from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority after receiving support from local fishermen and other residents. He hopes to begin work so that the download can begin in the spring of 2023.
The government on Tuesday adopted an interim plan that includes a fund to cushion the impact of any negative report on the spill and compensate fishing and other local businesses for any damage.
Japanese officials have said that ocean release is the most realistic option for water removal, which they say is necessary for the dismantling of the plant. Government and TEPCO officials say tritium, which is not harmful in small amounts, cannot be removed from the water, but all other isotopes selected for treatment can be reduced to safe levels before release.