The IAEA said in a statement that its involvement in the water disposal process will provide confidence in Japan and globally that it takes place in line with international safety standards which aim to protect people and the environment.
In April 2021, Japan’s government asked the IAEA for assistance in reviewing the country’s plans and also to support and be present during environmental monitoring operations there.
Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco), the station’s operator, will construct equipment to dilute and release the water, which has accumulated since three reactors melted down during the 2011 tsunami that overwhelmed the Fukushima-Daiichi facility.
Discharges will start in about two years, subject to final approval by nuclear regulators, but the entire operation is expected to last for decades.
Japanese authorities had said there was no practical alternative to releasing the water as storage space ran out. They said there was no risk to human health and that operating nuclear plants around the world release similar water every day.
The water was used to cool the melted-down cores and groundwater from close to the damaged facility. It is being collected, treated and stored in tanks on the plant grounds, but space is running out and the government has been exploring ways to deal with it. Last year the water already totalled more than one million tonnes with the volume increasing by more than 100 tonnes a day.
The IAEA said that under the agreement, it will examine key safety elements of Japan’s water discharge plan, including the radiological character of the water, the safety of the process, related environmental monitoring and environmental impact assessment, and regulatory control measures.
The first IAEA mission is expected to travel to Japan later this year, the agency said.