Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Decontamination Waste Disposal More than 400 billion yen required First estimate

A group of researchers summarized the first estimate that more than 400 billion yen will be required for final disposal of waste generated by decontamination to remove radioactive substances after the accident at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. I did.

This estimation is based on the condition that more than 90% of decontamination waste is recycled for public works projects, and if the recycling does not progress, the cost is expected to increase further.

The amount of soil and vegetation produced by decontamination carried out in Fukushima Prefecture is estimated to be 14 million cubic meters, which is equivalent to 11 cups of Tokyo Dome, and the law requires that it be finally disposed of outside Fukushima Prefecture by 2045.

A group of researchers belonging to the "Environmental Radioactivity Decontamination Society" made a trial calculation for the first time regarding the cost of this final disposal, and summarized the results on the 25th.

This estimation was made on the condition that the recycling of decontamination waste, which the national government plans to promote in public works, can be realized in 90% or more, and the disposal is done outside Fukushima Prefecture.

As a result, the final disposal required was 1.13 million cubic meters, which is 8% of the total, and the cost considering the construction and transportation of the disposal site was calculated to be at least 440.1 billion yen.

It was estimated that it would cost 675.6 billion yen to reduce the final disposal amount to 1900 cubic meters by concentrating radioactive materials.

The group says that if recycling does not proceed as expected, the cost of final disposal will increase further.

Masahiro Osako, director of the National Institute for Environmental Studies' Resource Recycling and Waste Research Center, who chaired the research group, said, "The problems of final disposal outside Fukushima Prefecture and the national recycling issues have been borne by the people for quite a long time. It's been 10 years since the accident occurred, and I feel that interest is gradually diminishing, but we need to make efforts to make it a problem for the entire nation. "