TEPCO begins 3rd round of diluted water release from Fukushima Daiichi plant

Nov 02 (NHK) - The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has begun its third round of the release of treated and diluted water into the ocean from the crippled plant.

Tokyo Electric Power Company started discharging the water at around 10:20 a.m. on Thursday.

The nuclear plant in northeastern Japan suffered a triple meltdown in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Water used to cool molten nuclear fuel mixes with rain and groundwater, and is stored in some 1,000 tanks within the plant compound. The accumulated water is treated to remove most radioactive substances, but still contains tritium.

Before releasing the treated water into the sea, TEPCO dilutes it to reduce tritium to about one-seventh of the guidance level set by the World Health Organization for drinking water quality.

TEPCO had been preparing for the third release from Tuesday, which includes diluting the treated water by adding sea water and checking radiation levels.

TEPCO says it plans to discharge about 7,800 tons of treated water, which is the equivalent of the capacity of 10 tanks at the plant, through mid-November. This is the same amount as water discharged in the previous two rounds. ...continue reading

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