IAEA Director Rafael Grossi visited Japan to assess decontamination efforts at Fukushima, highlighting safety and public trust as Japan reintroduces nuclear energy. The visit included discussions on a €14 million financial commitment for various programs and inspection of soil storage. Nearly 13 million cubic meters of contaminated soil have been removed, with plans to recycle much of it. Grossi’s team is also collecting samples to ensure transparency regarding treated water discharge into the ocean.
IAEA Director’s Visit to Fukushima: A Step Towards Decontamination
The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) commenced a significant visit to Japan on Tuesday, focusing on the ongoing decontamination efforts at the Fukushima nuclear plant, a site still grappling with the aftermath of a catastrophic disaster. This marks Rafael Grossi’s fifth trip to Japan, and he is set to inspect the temporary storage facilities for contaminated soil for the first time on Wednesday.
In a press statement, Mr. Grossi emphasized the importance of safety and public trust as Japan gradually reintroduces nuclear energy into its energy portfolio. He highlighted that ensuring a secure process is paramount during this transitional phase.
Fukushima’s Decontamination Efforts and Future Plans
During his visit, Mr. Grossi met with Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who announced a financial commitment of 14 million euros for various programs, including those aimed at enhancing cancer diagnostics in Ukraine and other nations. The decontamination initiatives in Fukushima Prefecture have resulted in the removal of nearly 13 million cubic meters of contaminated soil, equating to approximately 4,300 Olympic swimming pools, along with 300,000 cubic meters of waste from organic material incineration.
A Japanese Foreign Ministry representative stated that the purpose of Grossi’s visit is to validate the restoration efforts in Fukushima, which include dismantling the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and monitoring the contaminated soil that has been removed. The waste is currently housed in a temporary facility spanning 16 km², which extends into the adjacent towns of Okuma and Futaba.
Plans are underway to recycle around 75% of the contaminated soil classified as low-level radioactive, potentially repurposing it for civil engineering projects, such as road and railway embankments. However, soil that cannot be recycled must be disposed of by a 2045 deadline, with Tokyo aiming to finalize site selection and disposal methods within this year.
Olivier Évrard, deputy director of the Mitate Lab, remarked on the public sentiment surrounding the storage of contaminated soil, noting that while there is general agreement on distributing it across multiple regions, there is a reluctance for any locality to host it.
The decontamination efforts, initiated after the March 11, 2011 disaster, have covered over 9,000 km² and affected 40 municipalities. The soil stripping method employed has proven effective in limiting radioactive transfer, particularly in areas connected to waterways. However, this approach has incurred substantial costs and generated significant waste, raising concerns about the future fertility of the land.
Last September, the IAEA acknowledged that Japan’s strategies for recycling and disposing of soil and radioactive waste align with international safety standards.
During Grossi’s visit, IAEA experts, alongside representatives from several countries, will be collecting seawater and fish samples to enhance transparency regarding the discharge of treated water into the ocean. The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, Tepco, has initiated the dismantling of treated water tanks to create space for storing nuclear debris. Following the devastating tsunami triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, Tepco retained approximately 1.3 million tons of contaminated water, which is currently stored in over a thousand tanks occupying the majority of the plant’s site.
The dismantling of these tanks was made possible after the commencement of treated water discharge into the Pacific Ocean in August 2023, with assurances from Japan and the IAEA that the process poses no environmental threat. The Fukushima facility experienced a meltdown in three of its six reactors during the 2011 tsunami, marking a significant nuclear disaster in history. The entire dismantling project is anticipated to extend over several decades.