February 5, 2025
TOKYO – Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) announced Monday it will dismantle treated water tanks in the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant starting Feb. 13 at the earliest.
In plots of land cleared by the dismantling, TEPCO plans to build facilities such as storage for nuclear fuel debris scheduled to be removed from the Unit 3 reactor.
A total of 21 tanks will be dismantled. The Nuclear Regulation Authority approved TEPCO’s dismantling plan on Monday. Of the 21 tanks, 12 are empty, as treated water they had stored was released into the sea. TEPCO aims to complete the dismantling of the 12 tanks by the end of March 2026.
When all 21 tanks have been dismantled, a total of about 2,900 square meters of land will be made available for other purposes.
There are more than 1,000 water tanks in the Fukushima plant’s precincts. Treated water is water from which most radioactive materials, except tritium, have been removed.
TEPCO began releasing the treated water into the sea in August 2023.