TEPCO to Decommission All Reactors at Fukushima No. 2 Nuclear Power Plant

Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) has announced plans to decommission all four reactors at the Fukushima No. 2 nuclear power plant, in addition to the six reactors at the Fukushima No. 1 plant, the site of the 2011 disaster. This unparalleled task of scrapping a total of 10 reactors will be undertaken over the next 40+ years.

The Fukushima No. 1 plant was forced to shut down after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered the largest nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. TEPCO has been managing over 1 million tons of treated wastewater at the plant, which it plans to release into the ocean over the next 30 years, a move that has faced criticism from China, which has imposed a ban on imports of seafood from Japan.

The decommissioning of the Fukushima plants has been a slow and complex process, with ongoing concerns from the local community and international critics regarding the release of nuclear-contaminated wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. TEPCO continues to face opposition and legal challenges over the safety and environmental impact of these discharges, which include the release of tritium, a radioactive isotope that cannot be fully removed from the water.

Why this matters: The decommissioning of the Fukushima nuclear power plants is a complex and long-term process with significant environmental and economic implications. The decision to release contaminated wastewater into the ocean has raised concerns about the potential impact on marine life and the food chain, as well as the livelihoods of local fishermen and communities.

Despite opposition from local fishermen, residents, and the international community, TEPCO has started the fifth round of releasing nuclear-contaminated wastewater from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean. The release, which began on April 19, 2024, will continue until May 7, with about 7,800 tons of wastewater containing tritium being discharged. TEPCO claims that the concentrations of all radioactive substances other than tritium are below the national release standards, and the tritium will be diluted with seawater. However, the fishery industry and local residents have filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government and TEPCO, demanding they stop the ocean discharge.

The decommissioning of the Fukushima plant has made little progress, and it is uncertain when the nuclear waste and contaminated materials can be removed. The government and TEPCO have been criticized for not providing evidence-based safety instructions on the potential impact on the food chain. In fiscal 2024, TEPCO plans to discharge a total of 54,600 tons of contaminated water in seven rounds, containing approximately 14 trillion becquerels of tritium.

Key Takeaways

• TEPCO to decommission 10 reactors at Fukushima nuclear plants over 40+ years.
• TEPCO plans to release over 1 million tons of treated wastewater into the Pacific.
• Ongoing concerns over release of nuclear-contaminated wastewater and its environmental impact.
• TEPCO has started 5th round of releasing 7,800 tons of wastewater with tritium.
• Decommissioning progress is slow, with uncertainty around nuclear waste removal.