An International Atomic Energy Agency task force confirmed that the discharge of treated radioactive water from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear plant is "progressing as planned," as it wrapped up Friday its latest review on the process.
It was the second visit to Japan by an IAEA task force, comprised of IAEA officials and international experts, after the country began releasing the wastewater into the Pacific Ocean last August despite opposition from neighboring countries such as China.
The discharge of water from the Fukushima Daiichi plant, crippled in the wake of a massive earthquake and tsunami in 2011, is progressing in accordance with the plan approved by Japan's nuclear regulators, the IAEA said in a press release, noting that the four-day mission has included visits to facilities used for the release.
The main outcomes from the task force's latest inspection will be summarized in a report to be made publicly available later this year, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said.
Operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc., released about 31,200 tons of treated water in the previous fiscal year through March in four batches and it plans to discharge a further 7,800 tons through May 7.
The discharge began after the IAEA concluded that the water release plan aligns with global safety standards and would have a "negligible" radiological impact on people and the environment.
The Japanese government will continue efforts to seek further understanding of the treated water "both domestically and internationally in close cooperation with the IAEA," the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Friday.
Massive amounts of contaminated water have been generated in the process of cooling melted reactor fuel at the Fukushima plant. The water goes through a liquid processing system that removes most radionuclides except tritium, and the tritium levels are significantly diluted with seawater prior to release.
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