The tremor, measuring 9.0 in magnitude, caused widespread devastation across the Japanese islands eight years ago, including the world’s worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986, with three of the plant’s six reactors going into meltdown. Brave teams of scientists and technicians were sent in to contain the leak of hazardous radioactive material.
However, despite their efforts, the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Co (TECPO), has warned it will run out of room to store the contaminated water by 2022.
The water is needed to cool the three reactors to prevent the melted uranium fuel from reaching hazardous temperatures.
The company pumps groundwater flowing down from the hills above the plant into the reactor basements, where it mixes with radioactive debris.
Fumes are vented from Fukishima in 2011 (Image: GETTY)
The mixture is them pumped out again and treated, before it is stored in tanks – but these are filling up rapidly.
Large tanks on the site contain just over one million tonnes of processed water, according to Japan’s Asahi Shimbun newspaper.
By summer 2022, the tanks will be full of processed water, begging the obvious question as to what happens next.
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Officials working on site to decontaminate Fukishima (Image: GETTY)
The earthquake caused widespread damage in Japan in 2011 (Image: GETTY)
Japan Today has claimed a panel of experts met on Friday to discuss their various options, which also include evaporation of the water and “injection” deep underground.
Another idea, suggested by Japan’s nuclear regulator, would be simply to release the treated water into the ocean – a move which would be vociferously opposed by local fisherman concerned about the possible impact associated negative publicity would have on their businesses.
Last year, TEPCO confirmed water treated at Fukishima still contained radioactive materials, even though they had for years claimed all traces had been removed.
One of the damaged reactors at Fukishima (Image: GETTY)
The earthquake caused an estimated £200billion damage to the world’s economy (Image: GETTY)
Together with Government officials, TEPCO plans to begin removing the melted fuel inside the reactors in 2021, and aim to free up part of the complex which is currently occupied by the tanks in order to construct storage facilities for the contaminants which are taken out.
Several members of the panel have also urged TEPCO to consider the possibility of acquiring more land for extra tanks in case no consensus can be reached about what to do.
TEPCO spokesman Junichi Matsumoto is on record as saying contaminants from the decommissioning work need to stay in the plant complex.
The quake had a magnitude of 9.0 (Image: GETTY)
Long-term storage would reduce the radiation gradually because of its half-life, but they would also delay decommissioning work because the facilities required would not be able to be built until the removal of the tanks.
A report published by the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) in January, which sets out a “mid-and-long-term roadmap towards the decommissioning of TEPCP’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, states: “Despite the improvements in addressing the root causes contributing to the generation of contaminated water, the IAEA Review Team continues to identify water management as critical to the sustainability of decommissioning activities, in particular the resolution of the disposition path for the ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) treated water containing tritium and other radionuclides in tanks.
Footage showed the massive tsunami which resulted from the earthquake (Image: BBC)
“With the volume of ALPS treated water expected to reach the planned tank capacity of 1.37 million m3 within the coming three to four years, and considering current site facility plan for space allocations, and that further treatment and control of the stored water before disposition would be needed for implementation of any of the five solutions considered by the Japanese Government (as TEPCO expressed at the Sub-committee on handling of ALPS treated water, October 1, 2018), a decision on the disposition path should be taken urgently engaging all stakeholders.”
The earthquake and tsunami are believed to have claimed the lives of at least 15,897 people and probably many more.
The World Bank has put the cost to the world’s economy at £195billion.