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The science behind Japan’s plan to empty nuclear wastewater into the Pacific
Treated water from the wrecked Fukushima plant will be discharged into the ocean from this week, a proposal that has prompted alarm from nations including China.
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Releasing the vast volumes of water is necessary as storage tanks are forecast to hit capacity in early 2024.
PHOTO: AFP
Shoko Oda
Twisted sections of a reactor unit remain exposed at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant and a crushed metal tank lies near Japan’s coastline, reminders of one of the world’s worst atomic disasters, which happened in 2011, and a response that has already cost about 12 trillion yen (S$113 billion).
Huge cranes are stationed across the site of Tokyo Electric Power Company’s (Tepco) wrecked facility, while some areas have been covered with giant dome-like structures as work continues to manage the removal of dangerous fuel debris.
