METI: State Minister Ejima Receives Report from IAEA Review Mission on Decommissioning

On August 27, State Minister Ejima received a report of the IAEA’s review mission on decommissioning conducted from June 30 (Wed.) to August 27 (Fri.), 2021. The report includes acknowledgements and advisory points from the IAEA’s review mission.

1. Outline
Japan has been advancing efforts for the decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station under the Mid-And-Long-Term Roadmap towards the Decommissioning of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. Concerning these efforts, from June 30 (Wed.) to August 27 (Fri.), 2021, the IAEA review was conducted including the visit to Japan from August 23 (Mon.). Today, State Minister Ejima received a report from the IAEA review mission.
This is the fifth IAEA review on decommissioning. The first review was conducted in April 2013.

2. Main points of the report
(1) Regarding ALPS treated water
The IAEA review team appreciates Japan’s efforts concerning the advisory points of the previous reviews. Especially, the IAEA review team appreciates the decision making of the Government of Japan regarding a basic policy on handling of the ALPS treated water as it will facilitate the implementation of the whole decommissioning plan.
The IAEA review team encourages TEPCO to perform an analysis of the site water balance considering the large volume of water that has been treated and stored. This analysis should include an estimation of the ALPS treated water that will be generated in the future, and its anticipated schedule for its discharge into the sea.
(2) Other points regarding decommissioning
The focus on the next 10 years should be complemented by the development of a more comprehensive approach for the next phases, such as identification of options for the management of fuel debris after retrieval and the requirements for solid waste storage.
The IAEA review team encourages Fukushima Daiichi Decontamination and Decommissioning Engineering Company (FDEC) to continue revising and improving its business processes, focusing on further strengthening of project management functions and on developing human resources as an engineering organization.
The IAEA review team encourages TEPCO and METI to perform surveys and assessments to evaluate how the public outreach program contributes to enhancing public trust and confidence on decommissioning work.