The Japanese industry and economy ministry have proposed gradually releasing or allowing to evaporate massive amounts of waste liquid at the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant. These wastes has been treated but are still contaminated with radioactive materials.
The proposal was made to a body of experts and it is the first time that the ministry has narrowed down the options that are available for the releasing of the contaminated waste. It is meant to tackle the massive headache for the operator of the power plant because the storage space for the waste is slowly running out. This decision has been made despite the fears of a backlash from the public.
Radiation problem
It has been nine years after the meltdowns at the Fukushima plant, the radioactive waste is still accumulating, generated by the flow of water that is needed to keep the cores cooled and minimize leaks from the reactors that were damaged.
For years, the Japanese government panel has been thinking of ways to handle this crisis and to reassure residents and fishermen who fear potential health impacts from the release of the contaminated liquid as well as harm to the region's image. In the recent draft proposal, the ministry suggested a controlled release of the liquid into the Pacific, allowing the waste to evaporate, or a combination of the two methods.
Handling of the Fukushima water
The Japanese ministry stated that a controlled release into the sea was the best option because it would stably disperse and dilute the waste from the plant by using a method that was endorsed by the United Nations' Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. It also would facilitate the monitoring of radiation levels in the environment.
According to the documentation of the ministry, releasing the whole amount of liquid over one year would only increase the radiation levels to thousands of times less than those that humans experience from the natural environment.
In the proposal, the ministry noted that evaporation is a method that was proven and tested following the 1979 core meltdown at Three Mile Island, where it took around two years to get rid of 87,000 tons of radioactive tritiated water.
The plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., and the Japanese government have been unable to get rid of more than 1 million tons of radioactive liquid that have been stored and treated because of opposition from residents and local fishermen fearing further damage to the reputation and recovery of Fukushima. The utility has managed to cut down the volume of the liquid by pumping up groundwater from upstream even before it reaches the plant. They then install a costly underground ice wall around the reactor buildings in order to prevent other water from running into the area.
Tepco stated that it has space that can store only up to 1.37 million tons of the waste liquid, and they can only store it till summer of 2022. This raised the speculation that it may be released after the Tokyo Olympics next summer.
Tepco and experts say that the tanks get in the way of decommissioning work and that they need to free up the space to build storage for debris removed and other radioactive materials. The tanks also could spill out their contents in the instance that a major earthquake happens, or if there is a flood or tsunami.
Experts who have inspected the Fukushima power plant said that the controlled release of the liquid into the ocean is the only realistic option, but it will take decades.
A government panel compiled a report that listed five options and they include releasing the liquid into the sea and evaporation. The three other options include underground burial and injection into offshore deep geological layers.
The panel has also discussed the possibility of storing the radioactive liquid in large industrial tanks outside the plant, but the ministry proposal ruled that out. They cited risks of leakage in case of corrosion, tsunami or other natural disasters and accidents, as well as the technical challenge of transporting the water in a different area.
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