Nuclear: concerns around a wall of partly melted ice in Fukushima

A wall of ice preventing the discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean has partially melted.

© Tomohiro Ohsumi / AP

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

In Fukushima, a wall of ice preventing the discharge of contaminated water from the nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean has partially melted.

At the beginning of December, Tepco, the plant operator, intends to undertake work to reinforce the underground wall.

More than ten years after the accident, the Japanese electrician is struggling to prevent radioactive water leaks.

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With our correspondent in Tokyo,

To limit the discharge into the sea of ​​contaminated water from the Fukushima power plant, Tepco has built an underground ice wall.

Which forms a screen between the water table and the damaged reactors.

The wall is made up of 1,500 buried pipes into which a gelling liquid has been injected.

Sensors in the ground indicate rising temperatures on parts of the wall causing the land to melt ice.

A waterproof barrier by the ocean

Over the next few days, the Japanese electrician will reinforce this underground wall which limits discharges into the ocean of contaminated water from reactor cooling operations.

To reduce discharges into the Pacific, Tepco has further deployed a sealing barrier along the ocean.

The water used to cool three of the six reactors that had melted during the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 is stored in a thousand tanks after being cleaned up.

This water, which still contains tritium,

from 2024.

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• Japan

• Nuclear

• Energies

• Pollution