Executive Summary
In April 2021, theGovernment of Japan released its Basic Policy onHandling of ALPS Treated Water at the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings’(TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (Basic Policy). This policyresulted from a programme of review by the relevant Japanese governmentministries, and TEPCO, about how to manage the accumulating ALPS treated waterstored on site at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). TheBasic Policy describes, among other topics, the method selected by theGovernment of Japan for the handling of the Advanced Liquid Processing System(ALPS) treated water which was to discharge the treated water into the sea.
Following theannouncement of this policy, the Government of Japan requested that the IAEAconduct a detail review of the safety related aspects of handling ALPS treatedwater stored at FDNPS, applying the relevant international safety standards.The IAEA Director General accepted this request and noted the IAEA’s commitmentto being involved before, during, and after the ALPS treated water discharges.The IAEA is conducting this review in compliance with its relevant IAEAstatutory functions, in particular, that established in Article 3.A.6 of theIAEA Statute which declares that the Agency is authorized:
“To establish or adopt, in consultation and, where appropriate, incollaboration with the competent organs of the United Nations and with thespecialized agencies concerned, standards of safety for protection
of health and minimization of danger to life and property (including suchstandards for labour conditions), … and to provide for the application of thesestandards, … at the request of a State, to any of that State’s activitiesin the field of atomic energy.”
In July 2021, theIAEA and the Government of Japan signed the Terms of Reference for IAEAAssistance to Japan on Review of Safety Aspects of ALPS Treated Water atTEPCO’s FDNPS. The IAEA activities in this regard consist of a technical reviewto assess whether the actions of TEPCO and the Government of Japan to dischargethe ALPS treated water over the coming decades are consistent withinternational safety standards. The IAEA is also undertaking all necessaryactivities for the corroboration of the source and environmental monitoringprogrammes of TEPCO and the Government of Japan before, during and after thedischarges. The IAEA’s review is organized into the following three major componentsto ensure all key safety elements are adequately addressed: 1) Assessment ofProtection and Safety, 2) Regulatory Activities and Processes, and 3)Independent Sampling, Data Corroboration, and Analysis.
To implement theIAEA’s review in a transparent and inclusive manner, the IAEA Director Generalestablished a Task Force. The Task Force operates under the authority of theIAEA and is chaired by a senior IAEA official. The Task Force includes expertsfrom the IAEA Secretariat alongside internationally recognized independentexperts with extensive experience from a wide range of technical specialtiesfrom Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, France, the Marshall Islands, theRepublic of Korea, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the UnitedStates and Viet Nam. These independent experts provide advice and serve on theTask Force in their individual professional capacity to help ensure the IAEA’s reviewis comprehensive, benefits from the best international expertise and includes adiverse range of technical viewpoints.