Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (Tepco) has completed the fifth round of releasing tritium-containing treated water from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant into the ocean for fiscal 2024. About 7,800 metric tons of diluted water was discharged offshore through an undersea tunnel in the latest operation, marking the ninth round since August last year. Tepco plans two more releases before the end of the current fiscal year.
Monitoring by Tepco, the government, and other organizations has shown tritium concentrations in seawater and fishery products remain below Japanese safety standards. Despite the ongoing need to cool the damaged reactors at the plant, radioactive water continues to accumulate at the site of the 2011 triple meltdown.
Tepco processes the water through cleanup equipment before releasing it, ensuring that tritium levels in the discharged water remain well within safe limits. The company’s efforts aim to responsibly manage the treated water from the Fukushima plant while prioritizing environmental safety.