Press Releases

Visit of the IAEA Officials to Japan for Safety Review of the Handling of ALPS Treated Water
at the TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

February 18, 2022

From 14th to 18th February, IAEA officials and international experts visited Japan. During the visit, they conducted an IAEA’s Safety Review on ALPS treated water at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) and held meetings with relevant ministries and Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) to discuss cooperation regarding the handling of ALPS treated water. They also visited the FDNPS. This visit was conducted in compliance with strict preventive measures against coronavirus.

  1. The purpose of this visit was to conduct a Safety Review on the ALPS treated water, following the signing on the Terms of Reference (TOR) on Reviews of Safety Aspects of Handling ALPS Treated Water at TEPCO’s FDNPS in July 2021.
  2. In the meetings with METI and TEPCO, based on the IAEA's safety standards, the mission experts reviewed technical aspects related to the radiological characterization of the water to be discharged, the safety-related aspects of the water discharge process, and Japan’s assessment of the radiological environmental impact with regard to the protection of people and the environment. The report of the review mission is expected to be issued by the IAEA in April.
    In particular, the conditions and the references of the Report of the Radiological Impact Assessment (RIA) on humans and environment of the Discharge of ALPS Treated Water into the Sea, which was released by TEPCO in November last year, were reviewed. Reflecting the comments by the IAEA review mission in addition to the comments having received from the IAEA during the previous communications, TEPCO will revise this RIA report and further enhance its contents.
  3. On 15th February, IAEA delegation members witnessed in person TEPCO taking samples of the ALPS treated water from the measurement and verification facility. In order to corroborate the analysis by TEPCO of the concentration of radioactive materials contained in the ALPS treated water, it was confirmed that IAEA laboratories will also conduct the analysis of the concentration of radioactive materials in the future. The IAEA and Japan are going to coordinate the details of the implementation.
  4. The Government of Japan will continue its cooperation with the IAEA including this visit of the IAEA officials and the international experts, to ensure safety of the ALPS treated water as well as confidence and transparency of its handling. It will continue its efforts to promote an understanding regarding the handling of ALPS treated water in the international community.
(Reference 1)

ALPS treated water is water which is processed by devices such as ALPS (Advanced Liquid Processing System) to ensure that the radioactive materials other than tritium surely meets the regulatory standards for safety.

(Reference 1) News Release from METI

The IAEA Conducted Its Review Mission of Safety Aspects of Handling of ALPS Treated Water at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (meti.go.jp) Open a New Window


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