I-Nuclear: Energy Solutions wins multi-million dollar Fukushima water cleanup contract

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EnergySolutions wins multi-million dollar Fukushima water cleanup contract by I-Nuclear

US-based EnergySolutions has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract to clean up contaminated water at Tokyo Electric Power’s Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, EnergySolutions said in a press statement March 14.

The work will involve decontaminating 125,000 cubic meters of water, much of it sea water used to cool the six-reactor station during the emergency following the accident in which three of the reactors melted down one year ago.

The water will be decontaminated to “below detectable levels of radiation,” the company said. EnergySolutions did not specify in their statement what that level of radiation is, but general industry standards for decontamination is below 0.1 Becquerel/litre for alpha and gamma emitters, higher for beta emitters.

Tepco and Toshiba have been using the Simplified Active Water Retrieve and Recovery System (SARRY) to remove some of the caesium and other contaminants from the water to enable its reuse as coolant.

But the water will still contain between 300 and 1,000 Becquerel caesium/litre when EnergySolutions takes over decontamination, an EnergySolutions spokesman said.

The spokesman said EnergySolutions, which had already been named the preferred bidder for the contract and done some testing work on site, would have its equipment on the Fukushima site by May and be undertaking hot testing by autumn.

The contaminated water contains some 60-odd radionuclides, including strontium, but before the radiation contamination is removed, the water will have to undergo a pre-treatment stage to remove magnesium, calcium and organics.

The decontamination process will create secondary waste sludges and resins and EnergySolutions will be responsible for packaging that waste in high-intensity containers (HICs), before turning the waste back over to Tepco.

“We are honored to have been chosen to work alongside Toshiba and Tepco in tackling this complex problem on behalf of the Japanese people”, said Val Christensen, CEO and President, EnergySolutions.

“It is an unprecedented challenge but we are confident that, by applying our proven technology and decades of waste experience, EnergySolutions can deliver the uniquely high levels of decontamination demanded and take the site a step closer to its ultimate remediation.” –David Stellfox