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TOKYO – Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on Wednesday granted initial approval for a Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) plan to drain water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea, citing no safety concerns.
The NRA plans to make a decision on its final approval after a month-long public comment period, said an NRA official, who is dealing with the matter.
In 2021, the Japanese government approved the discharge of more than 1 million tons of irradiated water from the site after treatment into the ocean, beginning around spring 2023.
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The announcement sparked concerns from local fishermen and objections from neighboring China and South Korea.
Tepco plans to filter the contaminated water to remove isotopes, leaving only tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is difficult to separate from water. Tepco will then dilute the water until the tritium level falls below 1/40th of the legal limits before pumping it into the ocean.
Even after approval from the NRA, Tepco, which plans to build a tunnel that extends into the sea for the operation, will still need to obtain approval from local communities, including the governor and mayors and fishermen, before proceeding with the operation. actual construction work to begin, a Tepco spokesperson said.
The Japanese government and Tepco have indicated that the new facilities will be ready by mid-April next year, with the aim of starting the discharge around the spring of 2023.
Before granting the first approval, the NRA examined several factors, such as the performance of seawater dilution equipment, how to stop the release of water in the event of an anomaly, and countermeasures against earthquakes and tsunami, the official said. . (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; editing by Rashmi Aich)
This post Japanese nuclear regulator gives first nod to Fukushima water release plan
was original published at “https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/japan-nuclear-regulator-grants-initial-nod-to-fukushima-water-release-plan”