Japan's nuclear regulator approves treated Fukushima water release plan

 

 Japan's nuclear regulator on Friday officially approved a plan to discharge into the sea contaminated but since-treated water accumulating at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the northeast.

The government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. are aiming to begin releasing the water from about 1 kilometer off the Pacific coast in Fukushima Prefecture around next spring. The water contains hard-to-remove tritium below an allowed ceiling and will be further diluted.

TEPCO will start construction of discharge facilities after gaining consent from localities hosting the plant, but fishing communities in Japan oppose the plan out of fear of reputational damage to the seafood industry.

China and South Korea have expressed concerns about and opposition to the discharge as well.

According to the agreement TEPCO has signed with the prefecture and the host towns of Okuma and Futaba, the operator must gain their consent before building or adding facilities that could cause their area to be impacted by radioactive materials.