Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has begun discharging the 17th batch of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)-treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi NPP. Independent sampling and analysis by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that the tritium concentration is far below Japan’s operational limit.
Approximately 125,400 cubic metres of water has been released since Japan started to discharge the ALPS-treated water in batches in August 2023. The ALPS system removes all radioisotopes except tritium. The treated water is diluted with seawater prior to discharge. The IAEA previously confirmed that the tritium concentrations in the first 16 batches were also far below Japan’s operational limits.
As part of its ongoing safety review, the IAEA collected samples of this latest batch from the discharge vertical shaft and seawater pipe header where ALPS treated water is diluted with seawater before being discharged through a one-kilometre-long tunnel into the sea. On-site analysis confirmed that the tritium concentration is far below Japan’s operational limit of 1,500 becquerels per litre and is in line with international safety standards.
The IAEA comprehensive report issued on 4 July 2023 before the first discharge found that Japan’s plan for handling the treated water was consistent with international safety standards and that the release as planned would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment.
