Press Release
Strengthening of Internal Corporate Functions Related to the Discharge of ALPS Treated Water into the Sea
August 23, 2023
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.
TEPCO would like to deeply apologize for the great burden and inconvenience that it has caused on the people of Fukushima, and the whole of society, as a result of the TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station Accident.
On August 22, 2023, the Japanese Government held its sixth meeting of the Inter-Ministerial Council concerning the Continuous Implementation of the Basic Policy on Handling of ALPS Treated Water and it was decided to commence the discharge of ALPS treated water into the sea.
TEPCO, being fully aware that the discharge of ALPS treated water into the sea is a long-term responsibility that we must devote all of our resources to fulfilling, has constructed/installed ALPS treated water dilution/discharge facility, etc., disseminated scientifically-based information to parties in Japan and overseas, and engaged in sea area monitoring, etc.
As we commence sea discharge, we need to smoothly coordinate with stakeholders both in Japan and overseas as we engage in the elaborate discharge process, and explain this process to parties outside the company, as well as give timely updates to external parties about the current conditions in the field, implement reputational damage countermeasures, provide compensation, and engage in other initiatives. As the entity in charge of ALPS treated water, TEPCO will, under the continued guidance of the Japanese Government, handle this matter with the firm awareness that we are responsible for “preventing reputational damage” and “not betraying the trust of the people of Fukushima and the Japanese people” throughout the course of the discharge period. For the implementation of aforementioned measures, at TEPCO we have created the following teams for the interdepartmental supervision of all departments involved.
(1) Establishment of an ALPS Treated Water Unified Countermeasures Project Team
This project team will be under the direct supervision of the President and will supervise the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, and all those departments involved with compensation/reputational damage measures, and regional relations, etc., so as to keep upper management updated about information pertaining to the discharge of ALPS treated water and enable them to quickly give instructions to subordinates.
(2) Establishment of an ALPS Treated Water Impact Countermeasures Team
It is expected that the discharge of ALPS treated water will not only impact Fukushima, but also various regions across the nation, and therefore require distribution countermeasures/compensation measures that extend to these regions. We also believe it necessary that initiatives to disseminate accurate and easy-to-understand information within Japan and overseas, and to prevent reputational damage, are implemented in a unified manner with the aforementioned distribution countermeasures/compensation measures.
A new team that is dedicated to the unified management of these issues across the entire nation has been established at the Head Office and will be under the supervision of Executive Managing Officer Yoshida Takahiko.
Furthermore, Executive Vice President Akira Ono will reside on site to supervise operations pertaining to discharge, and President Tomoaki Kobayakawa will visit the site more frequently to check conditions in the field.
Third-parties independent of TEPCO will also participate in monitoring both prior to, and after discharge, and we shall continue to cooperate with strict reviews by the IAEA thereby thoroughly ensuring transparency. At the same time, we will continue to explain our actions by leveraging various opportunities to continually disseminate information in an easy-to-understand manner on the current conditions in the field through various forms of media to parties in Japan and overseas.
Through these new project teams and the aforementioned measures, the entire company will remain vigilant and work as one to complete the long-term decommissioning process and bring about recovery with steadfast determination to gain the trust of the people of Japan and the international community.
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(1) ALPS Treated Water Unified Countermeasures Project Team
(2) ALPS Treated Water Impact Countermeasures Team
