Prime Minister
A formal announcement is expected soon at a meeting of key ministers,
A government panel, after seven years of discussion on how to dispose of the water without further harming Fukushima's image and the region's fisheries and other businesses, prepared a report two years ago saying a release into the sea is the most realistic method. The report mentioned evaporation as a less desirable option.
The release is expected to start in about two years after the utility,
A release of the water into the sea has faced fierce opposition from local fishermen and residents. Japan Fisheries Cooperatives Chairman
The government has said it will do its utmost to support local fisheries and provide compensation for any damages.
In 2011, a powerful magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami damaged the Fukushima plant’s cooling systems, causing three reactor cores to melt.
In the decade since, cooling water has constantly escaped from the damaged primary containment vessels into the basements of the reactor buildings. To make up for the loss, additional water has been pumped into the reactors to cool the melted fuel remaining inside them. Water is also pumped out and treated, part of which is recycled as cooling water, and the remainder stored in around 1,000 tanks at the plant.
The operator says the tanks’ 1.37 million-ton storage capacity will be full in 2022, and that tanks will need to be removed to make room for decommissioning facilities.
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