IAEA Team to Visit Fukushima NPP Next Week to Review Water Discharge Plan

Tokyo- A group of experts of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Japan from February 14-18 to evaluate the safety of treated radioactive water bound for discharge from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

“During the visit, they will conduct an IAEA’s Safety Review on ALPS [Advanced Liquid Processing System] treated water at TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) and hold meetings with relevant ministries and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to discuss cooperation regarding the handling of ALPS treated water​​​. They will also visit the FDNPS,” the ministry said in a statement.

In late December, Japan worked out a strategy on the release of contaminated water from the defunct plant into the Pacific Ocean, including an interim safety assessment by the IAEA to ensure that the water release is conducted in line with safety standards.

The plan stipulates the construction of a 0.6-mile-long underwater tunnel to release contaminated water stored in the Fukushima site since the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which led to core meltdowns at the facility. The incident produced vast amounts of radioactive water which was used to cool the reactors.

Japan also plans to put in place a system of compensation payments to local companies engaged primarily in fishing, tourism, and agriculture, industries affected the most by what Tokyo described as harmful rumors linked to the wastewater dump plans.

Tokyo announced its plans to dispose of Fukushima water starting next year in April 2021, prompting concerns from its neighbors, including Russia, China, North and South Koreas. In addition, about 30 Japanese civil organizations, including the national Japan Fisheries Cooperatives, as well as local municipal authorities in the Fukushima prefecture, oppose the release of treated water into the ocean.