Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. said Monday the amount of "treated water" at the company's Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture has exceeded 1 million tons.
Water contaminated by radioactive substances at the site is treated and removed of most radioactive substances except tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen.
"There's no more vacant space available, so it's becoming difficult to secure enough tanks," a TEPCO official said.
The contaminated water, which contains high doses of radioactive substances, is generated when groundwater and rainwater enter the buildings that house the meltdown-hit reactors. Even after the water is treated, tritium cannot be removed. The treated water is stored in tanks at the plant site.
The government is considering measures to dispose of the water, such as releasing it into the sea, but has not made a final decision out of a fear of damaging rumors.
According to TEPCO, the amount of treated water since the beginning of this year had been hovering just below 1 million tons -- between more than 980,000 tons to more than 990,000 tons -- due to dry weather with little rain. As of last Thursday, however, the stored amount exceeded 1 million tons.
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