Originally published on September 4, 2013
Japan is planning on building a frozen wall around the Fukushima nuclear power plant in order to stop radioactive water from leaking out of the facility. The project is estimated to cost 47 billion yen, or roughly £304 m.
According to government spokesman Yoshihide Suga, the leaks have been getting worse the government "felt it was essential to become involved to the greatest extent possible."
The government plans to create a wall of frozen earth around the reactors using pipes filled with coolant. This will prevent groundwater from coming into contact with contaminated water being used to cool fuel rods. Upgrades will also be made to water treatment systems to deal with the build-up of contaminated water, according to officials.
The Fukushima Daichi nuclear power plant was damaged in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Cooling systems to the reactors were knocked out in the incident and subsequently melted down. Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) has been pumping in water to cool the reactors, but has resulted in the creation of large quantities of radioactive water, which is being stored in temporary tanks at the site.
Last month, Tepco stated that 300 tonnes of highly radioactive water had leaked from one of the tanks. There have also been reports of leaks from pipes in recent months, causing concern that water may be leaking from damaged reactor buildings into the ground.
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