In response to recent incidents involving contaminated water leaks at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has announced plans to implement new safety installations aimed at preventing future mishaps.
The operator detailed its strategy on Friday, revealing that construction will commence on Monday and is expected to be completed by the end of the month, according to national news agency Kyodo. The new measures include installing piping and ventilation ports designed to contain any potential leaks within the building, thereby mitigating the spread of radioactive contamination.
The initiative follows an incident on February 7, when approximately 1.5 tonnes of water contaminated with 6.6 billion becquerels of radioactive materials leaked due to human error. Valves that should have been closed during the cleaning of pipes for the Simplified Active Water Retrieve and Recovery System (SARRY) were left open, leading to the spill within the plant’s high-temperature incinerator building.
The planned enhancements involve modifying existing piping to ensure only gas is released outside the building. Water entering the pipes will be directed into polyethylene containers equipped with covers to prevent scattering. TEPCO will also install facilities to collect any leaks and employ cameras and detectors to monitor the system closely.
This development comes amid increased scrutiny of TEPCO’s safety protocols following previous incidents. In October last year, five workers were directly exposed to liquid waste containing radioactive materials at the same facility.
Alongside the safety upgrades, TEPCO submitted a request on Friday to the Nuclear Regulation Authority for approval to modify its decommissioning plan. The proposal includes constructing a dry storage facility in an elevated area to manage spent nuclear fuel. Covering approximately 9,800 square meters, the facility will feature nine fuel storage units with 40-centimeter-thick concrete walls. These units are expected to house around half of the 9,532 spent fuel assemblies remaining in the pools of Units 1 to 4, stored in 69 metal containers. Construction is slated to begin within the fiscal year 2025.
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered catastrophic damage from a magnitude-9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami on March 11, 2011. The disaster led to core meltdowns and a level-7 nuclear accident—the highest on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale. Since then, the plant has generated massive amounts of water contaminated with radioactive substances used to cool the nuclear fuel, which are stored in tanks on-site.
In August 2023, Japan began discharging treated wastewater from the plant into the Pacific Ocean, a decision that has faced opposition from governments, environmental groups, and communities both domestically and internationally. Concerns persist over the safety and transparency of TEPCO and the Japanese government’s handling of the decommissioning process as the company continues efforts to manage the long-term consequences of the disaster.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
