The tritium concentration in the eighth batch of diluted ALPS treated water, which the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) began discharging today, is far below Japan’s operational limit, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) experts have confirmed.

IAEA experts stationed at the Agency’s office at the site of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) sampled the treated water and conducted an independent on-site analysis. The IAEA confirmed that the tritium concentration in the diluted water is far below the operational limit of 1500 becquerels per litre and is in line with international safety standards.

Japan plans to continue releasing the ALPS-treated water from FDNPS over the next decades in a series of batches, following the start of the discharge in August last year. The IAEA has earlier?confirmed?that the tritium concentrations in the previous seven batches, totalling approximately 54 700 cubic meters of water, were also far below operational limits.

In a comprehensive?report?issued on 4 July 2023, the IAEA’s safety review found that Japan’s plan for handling the treated water was consistent with international safety standards and that the release as planned would have a negligible radiological impact to people and the environment.

Last month, the IAEA Task Force established to review the safety of the water discharge plan said in a new report that the discharge has continued to comply with international safety standards.

All reports on sampling, independent analysis, data evaluation, as well as timeline, are available on the IAEA?website.