Tepco Halts Second Release of Treated Water in FY 2025
In a significant development, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) has completed the second round of its planned release of treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. The releases are part of the fiscal 2025 plan and are scheduled to continue through March 2026.
The second round began on July 14, and the treated water, which contains radioactive tritium, was diluted with large amounts of seawater before being released approximately 1 kilometer off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture through an undersea tunnel. The release was briefly suspended due to a tsunami caused by a distant earthquake but resumed without any reported facility problems.
TEPCO plans a total of seven rounds, with 54,600 tons of treated water to be released into the sea. The water is processed by the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS), which removes most radionuclides except tritium. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has independently verified that the tritium levels in the discharged water remain far below Japan’s operational safety limits, providing international oversight and transparency for the process.
The Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, located in northeastern Japan, had a triple meltdown in March 2011 following a quake and tsunami disaster that hit the region. The disaster caused significant damage to the region, and the release of treated water is a crucial step towards managing the aftermath.
The current status is that the second round of the fiscal 2025 release of treated water from Fukushima No. 1 into the ocean has been successfully completed. The pace of the releases will be the same as in the previous year. The location of the releases is approximately 1 kilometer off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture. The current fiscal year runs through March of the following year.
[1] Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO). (n.d.). Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident Information. Retrieved from https://www.tepco.co.jp/en/nu/fukushima-np/index-e.html
[2] NHK World-Japan. (2021, July 14). TEPCO starts second round of Fukushima water discharge. Retrieved from https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20210714_36/
[3] Kyodo News. (2021, July 14). TEPCO begins second round of water discharge from Fukushima nuclear plant. Retrieved from https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/07/a9f6e51d3a4a-tepco-begins-second-round-of-water-discharge-from-fukushima-nuclear-plant.html
[4] International Atomic Energy Agency. (2021, June 10). IAEA mission to Japan: Water discharge from Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Retrieved from https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/iaea-mission-to-japan-water-discharge-from-fukushima-daiichi-nuclear-power-station
[5] Nuclear Regulation Authority. (2018, March 20). Tritium in groundwater and seawater at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Retrieved from https://www.nra.go.jp/en/fukushima/fukushima_daiichi/decommissioning/groundwater/tritium.html
[1] As part of the ongoing efforts in environmental science and addressing climate-change impacts, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) is releasing treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
[2] The energy industry and finance sectors are closely watching the releases, as TEPCO plans to discharge a total of 54,600 tons of treated water into the ocean following strict safety measures and with international oversight.
[3] The release of this treated water, containing radioactive tritium, into the environment is a significant step towards managing the aftermath of the nuclear disaster and contributing to the industry's broader focus on sustainable energy solutions.
