About 25 tonnes of radioactive water have leaked within the crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the plant’s operator reported, sparking renewed concerns over the facility’s stability and safety measures. The leak comes just a week after the latest round of ocean discharge of treated nuclear-contaminated water began.
The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) stated that the contaminated water leaked from a surge tank connected to the Unit 2 reactor building. This water was intended to be contained in a tank receiving overflow from the spent nuclear fuel pool. Accumulating on the first basement level of the reactor building, the leaked water led to a rise in the level of contaminated water already present in the area. TEPCO confirmed on Tuesday that the contaminated water had not escaped outside the reactor building.
The leak was first identified last Friday when a decrease in the water level of the surge tank was detected. Upon further investigation, TEPCO discovered water flowing into a drain in a room on the third floor of the reactor building. The company plans to use a remotely operated robot by Friday to measure radiation levels in the room and further pinpoint the exact location and cause of the leak. The cooling pump for the pool has been temporarily shut down as part of the investigation.
Hit by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and an ensuing tsunami on March 11, 2011, the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered core meltdowns that released radiation, resulting in a level-7 nuclear accident—the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Since then, the plant has been generating a massive amount of water tainted with radioactive substances from cooling down nuclear fuel in reactor buildings. The contaminated water is now being stored in tanks at the nuclear plant.
Despite widespread opposition both at home and abroad, the ocean discharge of Fukushima’s nuclear-contaminated water began in August 2023, with the eighth round starting last week. In fiscal 2024, TEPCO plans to discharge a total of 54,600 tonnes of contaminated water in seven rounds, which contains approximately 14 trillion becquerels of tritium.
Amid growing credibility and safety concerns among the Japanese public following a series of accidents at the crippled plant, TEPCO and the Japanese government have been frequently challenged for mishandling the contaminated water. A global opinion poll conducted by CGTN Think Tank published last year showed that 93.21 percent of respondents were strongly opposed to Japan dumping nuclear-contaminated water into the sea. According to the poll, 90.28 percent of people expressed that they do not trust the statements of the Japanese government and TEPCO, and 86.45 percent criticized that Japan has not handled its nuclear-contaminated water in a science-based, open, and transparent manner.
This latest leak raises fresh concerns over the management of radioactive materials at Fukushima and the potential environmental impact on surrounding regions. As investigations continue, communities both in Japan and abroad are closely watching TEPCO’s actions and the Japanese government’s response.
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Radioactive water leaks reported at Japan's Fukushima power plant
cgtn.com
