20-4-2024 (TOKYO) Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP), has initiated the fifth phase of treated water discharge from the facility, a move set to continue until May 7, according to a report by Japanese news agency Kyodo, as cited by Sputnik on Friday.
In this latest discharge effort, TEPCO plans to release approximately 7,800 tonnes of treated water into the sea. Throughout the new fiscal year, a total of over 54,000 tonnes of water is slated for release, the report outlined.
Kyodo noted that the radioactivity levels of the discharged water adhere to the standards mandated by both the Japanese government and international organisations.
The conclusion of the fourth round of water discharge occurred on March 16, marking a milestone in the ongoing management of Fukushima NPP’s treated water.
Despite objections from neighbouring countries and local fishermen, Japan commenced the release of a portion of the estimated 1.34 million tonnes of treated water from the Fukushima NPP into the ocean in August 2023.
Throughout the 2023 fiscal year, which concluded on March 31, 2024, more than 31,000 tonnes of mildly radioactive water were discharged.
With the entire process anticipated to span at least three decades, the management and disposal of Fukushima NPP’s treated water remain a subject of ongoing scrutiny and debate.
