A final review from a UN watchdog is scheduled to be given to Japan on Tuesday, July 4, and it is widely anticipated that it will review the schedule for the tsunami-damaged Fukushima plant to release nuclear waters into the sea over the course of the next 30 to 40 years.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency( IAEA ), will arrive in Japan on Tuesday for a four-day visit where he will meet with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and present the findings of its two-year safety review.
In anticipation of the IAEA’s final review and official approval from the national nuclear regulatory body for Tokyo Electric Power ( TEPCO ), Japan has not set a date for the water release. The final decision of the regulatory body might be made as soon as this year.
Some of the government’s 2021-conceived neighbors, including China, have fiercely opposed it, calling it” reckless and unpopular” and posing a threat to food and natural safety. Local fish areas also worry about social damage and potential future business losses.
In order to cool the Fukushima plant’s energy rods after being severely damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 2011, Japan plans to release 1.3 trillion tonnes of liquid.
Except for helium, an atom of gas that is challenging to distinguish from water, the water has been filtered to remove the majority of radioactive elements. Before being released into the Pacific Ocean, the treated water may be diluted to levels of tritium that are well below those recognized by international standards.
Wastewater containing helium is frequently released by nuclear power plants all over the world above the intensity of TEPCO’s treated water.
Despite China’s foreign government criticizing the program on Monday and ordering the IAEA to reject it, North Korean consumers have already stockpiled on sea salt in advance of the release.