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Fukushima: Japan prepares to release 1.3 million tonnes of treated wastewater into the sea
Nearly 12 years ago, a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear catastrophe at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant. Now, the plant operator wants to release 1.3 million tonnes of wastewater into the sea.
Japan is preparing to release more than a million tonnes of treated wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.
Nearly 12 years ago, a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear catastrophe at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi plant.
The nuclear reactors have been decommissioned - a process which will take 40 years to complete.
But the shutdown has stalled over the build-up of vast quantities of water used to keep the damaged reactors cool.
To free up space, operator TEPCO wants to release 1.3 million tonnes of the wastewater into the sea. They claim that the water is filtered to remove most radionuclides, making the release safe.
