04/07/2023 1:19 pm (act. 04/07/2023 1:20 pm)
Green light for ocean disposal ©APA/AFP/POOL
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has given Japan the green light for the planned disposal of large amounts of filtered cooling water from the nuclear ruins of Fukushima. Japan’s plan complies with international safety standards, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi judged on Tuesday in Tokyo. The radiological impact of water discharge into the Pacific on humans and the environment would be “negligible”, according to Grossi. The criticism came from China.
The IAEA report does not allow Japan to discharge the water, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said in Beijing. Nor does it prove that dumping is the safest and most reliable option. She urged Japan not to dump Fukushima’s cooling water into the ocean, to study other plans, to dispose of it “scientifically and safely”, accepting strict international monitoring. Local fishermen are also opposed to the planned summer dumping.
The Greens were critical of Tuesday and spoke of a “scandal”. “The IAEA is not an independent organization, but it advocates the use of atomic energy and is therefore not an adequate scientific body to make this globally relevant decision. The World Health Organization (WHO) is authorized by international agreements to assess the risks to the health of plants, animals and people on a scientific basis and not the IAEA,” said Martin Litschauer, anti-nuclear spokesman, at the parliamentary club.
While it is clear that the ALPS technical system cannot filter the tritium isotope from water that has been proven to be contaminated, state operator TEPCO and the IAEA believe that “there is no danger” because the water is diluted. “This careless handling clearly shows that cheap disposal of contaminated water is the only decision criterion,” he said. “We support neighboring countries and local fishermen in their request to the Japanese government and the operating company TEPCO to stop the disposal of contaminated water.” As a highly industrialized country, Japan owes its own people and the world community the responsibility to deal with the nuclear catastrophe. The planned discharge into the Pacific also runs counter to an upcoming international high seas agreement to protect the world’s oceans.
The environmental protection organization Global 2000 made a similar statement: “The helpless dumping of radioactive water against the protests of neighboring countries not only shows that the nuclear industry is still unable to solve its problems after decades of commercial use, but also that the IAEA, above all, is to minimize nuclear risks worldwide,” said Patricia Lorenz, Global 2000’s anti-nuclear spokesperson.
On March 11, 2011, as a result of a strong earthquake and a huge tsunami, a core meltdown occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. More than a dozen years later, the destroyed reactors still need to be cooled with water. Due to the infiltration of rainwater and groundwater, the amount of radiated water increases every day. More than 1.3 million tons are now stored in around 1,000 tanks. But now, according to operator Tepco, space is running out. The water must therefore be filtered through a tunnel built about a kilometer into the sea and then dumped after it has been greatly diluted.
However, the ALPS technical system cannot filter out the tritium isotope. According to Tepco and the IAEA, there is still no danger, as the water is diluted and small amounts of tritium are harmless to people and the environment. Experts point out that nuclear power plants around the world have routinely dumped contaminated cooling water into the sea for decades, including in China, France, South Korea and other countries. Fukushima’s cooling water discharge will likely take decades.
At the request of the Japanese government, the IAEA has sent teams to Japan several times over the past two years to verify the security of maritime clearance. The method of analysis in Japan for treated water was classified as “fair”. Grossi delivered his final authority review report to Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Tuesday. This was created “committed, scientific” and “impartial”.
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called foreign media reports “absolutely false” that the government had made a political donation of more than one million euros to the IAEA to resolve disagreements between the IAEA and experts from other countries involved in the test. of the cooling water. The fact that the outcome of the IAEA review report was considered certain from the outset was also vehemently denied.
Japan’s government now wants to study the IAEA report before making a final decision on when to discharge the water into the sea. Kishida said Japan would respond “sincerely” to the IAEA’s final assessment and continue to “politely” explain the plan “with a high degree of transparency” to affected residents and the international community. Discharging the cooling water into the ocean will likely take decades.
However, local fishermen, who fear damage to their reputations and sales, still resist Japan’s disposal plans. There are also concerns in South Korea about possible environmental damage caused by the eviction. So far, the Seoul government has emphasized that it intends to maintain the ban on importing fish products from and around Fukushima as long as concerns about the planned disposal of cooling water are not allayed.
Grossi travels to Seoul on Friday. Before that, he will open an IAEA office on the site of the damaged nuclear power plant in Fukushima. An IAEA team will be present at the branch at the start of the water discharge and will also follow the project from then on.