Tokyo Electric Power Co. has begun sprinkling low-level radioactive water from the No. 5 and No. 6 reactor buildings at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on the ground elsewhere to prevent fires at the site, the utility said.
Tokyo Electric Power Co. has begun sprinkling low-level radioactive water from the No. 5 and No. 6 reactor buildings at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant on the ground elsewhere to prevent fires at the site, the utility said.
TEPCO said there will be no environmental impact because the water has been desalinated and purified to a level of radioactivity below the standards set by the Environment Ministry.
The water was both groundwater and seawater that flowed into the No. 5 and No. 6 reactor buildings after the March 11 tsunami hit. Although the two buildings did not experience the same problems as the other four reactor buildings, local governments and fishermen's associations opposed the idea of releasing the water into the sea.
As temporary tanks and other receptacles for the radioactive water have almost reached capacity, TEPCO received permission from Fukushima Prefecture, Okuma town, Futaba town, fishermen's associations in Ibaraki Prefecture and other groups to sprinkle about 17,000 tons of water.
To begin with, 28 tons was sprinkled in woods and a parking lot in the southern part of the plant's premises on the afternoon of Oct. 7.
Water will be sprinkled to prevent spontaneous combustion in the woods on the plant's premises and of trees that were cut down for the rebuilding effort. The water will also be sprinkled on roads and athletic grounds to prevent radioactive substances from being blown off the ground by the wind.