IAEA starts mission to review planned release of Fukushima water

TOKYO • A task force from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) yesterday began a mission in Japan to review the planned release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean.

There is an accumulation of over a million tonnes of processed water in tanks at the crippled plant since it went into meltdown following a tsunami in 2011, and storage space is running out.

An extensive pumping and filtration system removes most of the radioactive elements, and Japan says the plan to dilute and release the water over several decades is safe.

The IAEA has endorsed the release, which it says is similar to the disposal of wastewater at nuclear plants elsewhere.

But the controversial plan adopted by the government last April, which is expected to take effect as soon as March next year, sparked ire from neighbouring countries over environmental and safety concerns.

It also generated fierce opposition from local fishing communities. They fear it will undermine years of work to restore confidence in their seafood.

Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and the Japanese government are hopeful that IAEA monitoring of the process will boost confidence.

"This week we will conduct a mission to review the action, plans, data and relevant documents, to assess their compliance against the provisions included in international safety standards," said Mr Gustavo Caruso, director and coordinator of the IAEA's nuclear safety and security department.

He said the task force would be scrutinising elements including the "radiological characterisation of the water to be discharged", and the impact on people and the environment.

Tepco's chief officer for the treated water management, Mr Junichi Matsumoto, said the firm is studying infrastructure design and operations for the discharge plan "with the priority on safety and also to contain the impact on the region's reputation".

Debate over how to handle the contaminated water has dragged on for years, as space to store it at the site runs out.

The liquid includes water used to cool damaged reactors, as well as rain and groundwater that seep into the area.

The filtration process removes most radioactive elements from the water, but some remain, including tritium.

Experts say the element is only harmful to humans in large doses and that with dilution the treated water poses no scientifically detectable risk.

The IAEA team will be in Japan from yesterday to Friday, and will visit the plant site and give a press conference at the end of its trip.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE