Japan's Tepco to release radioactive water into sea from 2023

Tokyo Electric Power Co. will be allowed to release radioactive water containing tritium from Fukushima I into the Pacific Ocean starting in 2023, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said April 13.

Suga said at a news conference that the government will oversee Tepco's payment of compensation to fishermen and any other groups for lower prices for fish and other produce caused by "adverse rumors" associated with the release.

Tepco, which said it would "strictly follow government regulations and appropriately deal with compensation for lower prices due to rumor", had 1.25 million cu m of tritiated water in 1,061 storage tanks at the Fukushima I site as of March 18. Fukushima I has a total storage capacity of 1.37 million cu m.

The water has been treated by a system designed to remove 62 radionuclides but not tritium.

Hiroshi Kishi, chairman of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperative Associations, said his organization would "resolutely oppose the water release. We want the government to show measures which make sure that fishermen in Fukushima prefecture and elsewhere can be secure."

Hiroshi Kajiyama, minister for trade and industry, who also oversees the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, said "the government will persuade fishermen to accept our basic release plan" and that he would visit Fukushima fishermen on April 13.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said the government's basic water release plans included diluting the contaminated water to up to 1,500 becquerels per liter. The Nuclear Regulation Authority mandates a limit of 60,000 becquerels per liter for tritiated water from reactors that is released into the sea.

Kato also said the annual release of Fukushima I water will be limited to 22 trillion becquerels. Those plans are based on discussions that ANRE officials have had over the past six years, he said.

Tepco must submit plans on the tritiated water release to NRA for the regulator to conduct its safety review, Jun Takeuchi, NRA's director for Fukushima I office, said.