The operator of the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant temporarily halted the discharge of treated radioactive water into the sea following a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that jolted northeastern
It was the first time that
The water transfer facilities are equipped with two emergency isolation valves that automatically stop the discharge into the sea when problems are detected in the water pumps and flowmeters, according to
Additionally, workers can suspend the release remotely from a control room if a natural disaster occurs that could affect the water discharge facilities.
An earthquake registering lower 5 or above on the Japanese seismic intensity scale, tsunami alert, and high tide warning are among cases that will lead to such manual shutdowns. In response to the quake on Friday,
At the Fukushima plant, massive amounts of radioactive water have accumulated in the process of cooling nuclear fuel that melted in the 2011 accident. The water is processed to remove most radionuclides except tritium and diluted before being released into the
A manual shutdown would also be undertaken if tritium above the permitted concentration level is detected in seawater near the plant.
==Kyodo
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