According to Japan’s Kyodo News Agency, Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), recently revealed that he is consulting with Japan on the disposal of sewage containing radioactive tritium in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.
The agency stands ready to send a monitoring team to inspect nuclear sewage at the request of the Japanese government to address concerns about environmental impact.
The storage tank for sewage storage in the Fukushima Ichi nuclear plant is expected to reach its maximum capacity as early as the summer of 2022, and the Japanese government is exploring the discharge of nuclear sewage into the sea.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on December 10 that “it can’t be postponed all the time”, but fishery-related people objected that the measure “is bound to damage [Japan]’s image”.
Grossi became the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency in December 2019. Tritium is considered to have little effect on the human body, and sewage discharge into the sea is “technically feasible”, he said.
Grossi advocated “trusting that the IAEA can play a very constructive role” and expressed his intention to cooperate with Japan.
In addition, Grossi also mentioned the construction of the final treatment site of high-level radioactive waste (nuclear waste) for nuclear power plants under discussion in Japan. Grossi said that the plan was achievable, using the treatment site “Onkalo” in Finland as an example.
However, he pointed out that it is necessary for countries to investigate the underground soil for the suitability of treatment sites.
