Politics & Government

Ocean Release of Treated Water from Fukushima Nuclear Plant Likely to Begin 1:00 P.M. Thursday

Courtesy of TEPCO
TEPCO staff members take samples of treated water to measure the tritium concentration from an upstream tank near the sea at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant on Tuesday night.

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:40 JST, August 23, 2023

The government is making final arrangements for the release of treated water from Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.’s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the sea starting as early as 1 p.m. on Thursday, according to government sources.

Following the discharge, the government will monitor the concentration of tritium in the ocean on a regular basis, with the data collected immediately after the release to be made public as early as on Sunday, the sources said.

The treated water contains tritium, which is difficult to remove, even with an advanced liquid processing system. TEPCO will dilute the treated water on site by mixing it with a large amount of seawater to reduce the concentration to less than 1,500 becquerels per liter.

The government chose an August date to avoid starting the release during the season for offshore dragnet fishing, which will resume off Fukushima Prefecture from Sept. 1. It aims to demonstrate the safety of the water release by publishing monitoring data for seawater before the fishing operations resume.