Japan's TEPCO Starts 6th Discharge of Treated Water From Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The operator of Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), started the sixth discharge of treated water into the ocean, a day after China and Russia raised safety concerns over the water's possible nuclear contamination, Japanese media reported on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Tokyo lodged a protest with Moscow and Beijing over the wording of a joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, about the "nuclear-contaminated" water being discharged from the Fukushima NPP, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.

TEPCO is planning to discharge 7,800 tonnes of water through June 4 after ensuring that the radioactivity levels meet both its own and the Japanese government's standards, the Kyodo news agency reported.

On April 19, the plant’s operator launched the fifth round of treated water release from the facility, which was scheduled to run until May 7. On April 24, TEPCO reportedly resumed the treated water discharge into the ocean following a pause due to a power outage.

Japan started releasing part of the estimated 1.34 million tonnes of Fukushima nuclear power plant treated water into the ocean in August 2023 despite an outcry from neighboring countries and local fishermen. In total, more than 31,000 tonnes of mildly radioactive water was released during the 2023 fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2024. The entire process is expected to take at least 30 years.