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Japan may begin releasing fourth batch of water from Fukushima NPP in February

In March 2011, a tsunami knocked out power and cooling facilities at the Fukushima NPP, leading to a nuclear meltdown in three reactors, the destruction of their vessels, explosions and the release of large amounts of radioactive material

TOKYO, December 18. /TASS/. Japan’s Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) company may begin to release the fourth batch of treated radioactive water from the disaster-stricken Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in February, the Kyodo news agency reported, citing sources.

A total of 7,800 tons of water is expected to be discharged, about the same amount as in previous stages. Releasing this next batch of water may take about 17 days.

In March 2011, a tsunami knocked out power and cooling facilities at the Fukushima NPP, leading to a nuclear meltdown in three reactors, the destruction of their vessels, explosions and the release of large amounts of radioactive material. To date, the plant and surrounding areas have been almost completely cleaned up. However, the water that is constantly poured into the destroyed reactors to cool down nuclear fuel fragments flows out through gaps highly contaminated with radioactive particles.

There are currently over 1.34 mln tons of water at the NPP. That said, the Japanese government decided to gradually treat and then discharge this water into the sea. The process, which is expected to take 30 to 40 years, caused tensions with a number of countries, namely China, despite being approved by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The water is treated through the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) and is also diluted with seawater but still contains tritium that cannot be removed. The maximum allowable concentration of tritium is 1,500 becquerels per liter, and the measurements that the Japanese officials and IAEA experts take in the ocean confirm that the treated water meets these parameters.

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