Japan could begin releasing radioactive water from Fukushima in August

Japan could begin releasing radioactive water from the nuclear power plantFukushima into the Pacific Ocean at the end of August. The DPA news agency reported today, citing Japanese media, which said government representatives from the Asian country will meet on August 20 to decide on the exact date.

In July, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approved Tokyo’s plan to release radioactive water from the power plant, which was seriously damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011. The agency said the discharge of contaminated water complies with global standards and will have only „negligible radiological impact on people and the environment“.

According to DPA, the water will be discharged from the power plant through a kilometre-long tunnel. Before that, it will be treated, leaving only radioactive tritium, whose concentration is expected to be very low. Japan will release the contaminated water, for which storage space at the Fukushima site is running out, into the ocean very gradually, so the entire process will take 30 to 40 years.