This week, Tokyo Electric Power Co. began operating a system that will allow groundwater to bypass damaged reactors at Fukushima Daiichi. The Japanese utility also announced an estimate of the amount of solid waste it will need to handle by 2027.
Recent news related to the nuclear plant blacked out following Japan's 2011 earthquake and tsunami includes:
Plant Prepares to Release Groundwater
After securing the recent approval of local fishermen, TEPCO announced Wednesday that it began storing groundwater collected upstream of Fukushima buildings for eventual release into the sea. Once in place, the diversion system is expected to pump up enough water before it reaches the reactors to reduce the daily groundwater flow into plant basements from 400 to 300 metric tons per day. Following third-party checks to ensure contamination levels are within set limits, TEPCO expects the first discharge into the ocean in about a month.
Radioactive Rubble Storage Outlined
At a meeting Monday, TEPCO managers forecast that the cleanup at the plant will generate 560,000 cubic meters of contaminated debris by 2027. About 160,000 cubic meters will require a storage facility, the Asahi Shimbun reported, with the rest contaminated at levels low enough for recycling or reuse. Much of the material will come from the concrete of reactor buildings damaged in hydrogen explosions.