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Japan's Fisheries Agency has strongly opposed Tokyo Electric Power Co's (TEPCO) plan to release water contaminated with radioactive materials from its afflicted Fukushima Daini nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean.
TEPCO claimed it would release the water only after treating it to lower radioactive substances to an undetectable level. Regardless, the agency has rejected the proposal, which for now means the 3,000 tonnes of water will remain in the nuclear power station 15 km south of the devastated Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and that the salt in the water may continue to corrode the storage facility.
The 11 March earthquake and tsunami left 7,000 tonnes of water stranded at Fukushima Daini power station’s facilities. Of that amount, 3,000 tonnes in the reactor, turbine and other buildings now hold a small amount of radioactive compounds, including cobalt.
TEPCO had at first decided to keep the water in the tank, but soon the storage facility began to show rust.
The 3,000 tonnes of water were tested and displayed a level of radioactive materials below the legal standard for releasing such water to the environment. TEPCO even told the Fisheries Agency and local fishers that it would continue to minimise the amount of radiation in the water with a mineral called zeolite before pouring it into the sea.
Previously, it was found that TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi power plant leaked highly contaminated water into the sea. The plant also released water with a low level of contamination as part of TEPCO’s plans to mitigate the nuclear crisis.
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