By Manal Abdel Fattah
Tokyo Electric Power Company began the fourth phase of discharging treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which was affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake, in March 2011, where the discharge will continue for 17 days.
According to a statement issued by the Embassy of Japan in Cairo, a pre-discharge report last February confirmed that the water treated with ILPS technology in the fourth discharge batch complies with regulatory standards for discharge, as the Japanese company had previously discharged three batches since August 2023, where monitoring was done before, during and after each payment, until all discharge payments were completed safely.
According to the statement, the discharges were reviewed and monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which confirmed that Japan’s approach and discharge methods for water treated with the ILPS technology comply with international safety standards, and that Japanese marine samples and monitoring methods are highly accurate and efficient.
The Japanese company discharged the third batch, from 2 to 20 November 2023, where it was found that the concentration of nuclides, including tritium in seawater, before, during and after the discharge was much lower than the relevant standards, indicating that the discharge was safe as it was. a plan.
The IAEA Task Force visited the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant during its work mission in October 2023, and presented the following findings in January 2024 as a result of the visit: The Task Force found no non-compliance with the requirements of relevant international safety standards.
Therefore, the IAEA reaffirmed the basic conclusions of the safety review that Japan’s approach and disposal methods for treated water comply with international safety standards, and that the discharge will have minimal radiological effects on humans and the environment, as described in the IAEA’s comprehensive report.
The task force found that the equipment and facilities used were consistent with the implementation plan and relevant international safety standards, and the IAEA reported on January 30 that as a result of comparing results between laboratories, the Japanese company had demonstrated that it had accurate and sound analysis capabilities for the treated water and had established an active and sustainable analytical system. .
The agency also stated, on January 30, that as a result of comparing results between laboratories, Japanese marine samples and monitoring methods are highly accurate and efficient, meet appropriate standards, and demonstrate the appropriate methodology for collecting the necessary samples.
The report stated that Japan voluntarily conducted sample surveys on marine products, and conducted an analysis of the components of fish caught off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture, regardless of whether they were for export or domestic consumption, after discharging the treated water into the sea, and no tritium exceeding the detection limit was detected.
