The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has carried out independent sampling and analysis on the 16th batch of Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS)-treated water, which Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) began discharging today from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), confirming that the tritium concentration is far below Japan’s operational limit.
As part of its ongoing safety review, the IAEA collected and analyzed samples onsite at FDNPS of the diluted water that was being prepared for discharge as part of this latest batch. The results confirmed that the tritium concentration is far below Japan’s operational limit of 1,500 becquerels per litre and is in line with international safety standards.
Japan started to discharge the ALPS-treated water in August 2023 and will continue to release it in a series of batches over the next decades. The treated water is diluted with seawater prior to discharge. Approximately 117,700 cubic meters of water has been released in the first 15 batches. The IAEA has previously confirmed that the tritium concentrations in the first 15 batches were far below the international safety standards and Japan’s operational limits.
In a comprehensive report issued on 4 July 2023 before the first discharge began, the IAEA’s safety review found that Japan’s plan for handling the treated water was consistent with international safety standards and that the release as planned would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment.
Reports on sampling, independent analysis, data evaluation, as well as timelines, are available on the IAEA website.
