The release of treated water from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant resumed Saturday night, about five hours after an alarm indicating low water flow in the pumping system led to an automatic halt, according to its operator.
The resumption at around 10:30 p.m. came after Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc confirmed the safety of the system. It was the same alarm that went off on Wednesday.
On Saturday, a momentary power outage affected two power lines inside the plant, leading to reduced water flow in the pumps, according to TEPCO. The pumps supply seawater to dilute treated radioactive water before its release into the Pacific Ocean.
The discharge is part of TEPCO’s effort to cope with massive amounts of radioactive water that have accumulated since fuel meltdowns at the Fukushima plant caused by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Most radionuclides except tritium are removed before the accumulated water is diluted and released into the sea.
© KYODO
