Japan has begun releasing its first batch of "treated" radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean, a move the country sees as a crucial step in its ongoing struggle to manage the accumulating stockpile of radioactive water resulting from the aftermath of the 2011 nuclear meltdowns triggered by a powerful earthquake and tsunami.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) broadcasted a live video from the plant's control room on Thursday, showcasing an operator activating a seawater pump to kickstart the controversial undertaking, projected to extend over several decades.
In a live video from a control room at the plant Thursday, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings showed a staff member turn on a seawater pump, marking the beginning of the controversial project that is expected to last for decades.
Japanese fisher groups have opposed the plan for fear it will further damage to the reputation of their seafood as China has already banned the sea food.
The water release begins more than 12 years after the March 2011 nuclear meltdowns, caused by a massive earthquake and tsunami. It marks a milestone for the plant's battle with an ever-growing radioactive water stockpile that TEPCO and the government say have hampered the daunting task of removing the fatally toxic melted debris from the reactors.
The pump activated on Thursday afternoon would send the first batch of the diluted, treated water from a mixing pool to a secondary pool, where the water is then discharged into the ocean through an undersea tunnel. The water is collected and partly recycled as cooling water after treatment, with the rest stored in around 1,000 tanks, which are already filled to 98% of their 1.37-million-ton capacity.
Japan has said the water release is safe, which has been backed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The United Nations nuclear watchdog gave the plan the go-ahead after an inspection in July, saying it met international standards and that the effect on people and the environment was “negligible”.
The water will be released into the ocean, off Japan’s northeast coast, at a maximum rate of 500,000 litres (about 110,000 gallons) per day.