Fukushima Daiichi Releases Nearly 55,000 Cubic Meters of Treated Wastewater in First Year
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One year has passed since Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) began releasing treated wastewater from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station into the sea on August 24, 2023. As water is used to cool the nuclear debris at the stricken plant, and groundwater and precipitation flow into the reactor building, contaminated water is continually generated. The water is collected before it can flow into the sea untreated. It is first run through adsorption equipment to reduce the concentration of cesium and strontium before it is treated using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most radioactive materials, apart from tritium, and then stored in tanks.
The Daiichi site is filled to capacity with tanks of treated water. The water needs to be released and the tanks disposed of to secure the space to construct the facilities required for the next phase of decommissioning. This is why TEPCO began releasing treated water in August last year.
To date, there have been seven rounds of releases in which 54,000 cubic meters of wastewater have been discharged into the ocean. As well as TEPCO, the Fisheries Agency, Nuclear Regulation Authority, Ministry of the Environment, and others are monitoring seawater tritium levels and have detected no problems.
ALPS-Treated Wastewater Released in FY2023
| Period | Treated Wastewater Released (m3) | Tritium Released (trillion Bq) |
|---|---|---|
| August 24–September 11, 2023 | 7,788 | 1.1 |
| October 5–23 | 7,810 | 1.1 |
| November 2–20 | 7,753 | 1.0 |
| February 28–March 17, 2024 | 7,794 | 1.3 |
| FY23 Total | 31,145 | 4.5 |
Created by Nippon.com based on public data from Tokyo Electric Power Co.
ALPS-Treated Wastewater Released in FY2024
| Period | Treated Wastewater Released (m3) | Tritium Released (trillion Bq) |
|---|---|---|
| April 19–May 7, 2024 | 7,851 | 1.5 |
| May 17–June 4 | 7,892 | 1.3 |
| June 28–July 16 | 7,846 | 1.3 |
| FY24 Total | 23,589 | 4.1 |
Created by Nippon.com based on public data from Tokyo Electric Power Co. Seven releases are planned for each year.
As of August 15, there were 1.3 million cubic meters of treated wastewater in tanks at Fukushima Daiichi. Alongside the decommissioning work taking place at the same site, it is projected that it will take around 30 years to release it all.
(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Masses of water tanks lined up at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station before the start of treated wastewater release into the ocean. © Nippon.com.)