From Mol to Fukushima: Belgian expertise in service of global safety
SCK CEN investigates Fukushima water on behalf of the IAEA
In June, SCK CEN joined an international mission led by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The task: taking and analysing samples of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, purified using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS). This contribution underscores the key role of the Belgian nuclear research centre in promoting global nuclear safety and transparency.
The story behind the mission: where did it all begin?
In August 2023, TEPCO, the Tokyo-based power company, began discharging treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. This was done with the approval of the IAEA. To maintain transparency and ensure compliance with international safety standards, the IAEA and the Japanese government introduced additional safeguards. Four missions have since taken place. The most recent mission also involved SCK CEN’s LRM (Low-level Radioactivity Measurements) and ISR (Impact & Site Remediation) groups.
The IAEA often calls upon independent bodies to perform analyses and studies. As part of the monitoring of contaminated water from Fukushima, the IAEA has taken additional measures to expand the sampling and analysis programme for water treated by the ALPS system. The aim of this pumping and filtration system is to reduce the activity of 62 radionuclides to below the permissible discharge limits.
Five leading laboratories from the ALMERA network (Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity), including SCK CEN, were selected to carry out this mission. On 6 May, the Belgian centre received an official request from the IAEA’s Division of Marine Environmental Laboratories (NAML).
An international team consisting of one delegate from each laboratory, along with three IAEA experts, travelled to Japan. Within SCK CEN, the task was divided between two specialised groups: ISR (Impact & Site Remediation), which handled the on-site sampling, and LRM (Low-level Radioactivity Measurements), which analysed the water samples in Belgium.
SCK CEN's wider commitment
The new assignment is in line with SCK CEN’s wider commitment to the safe, sustainable, and responsible use of nuclear technologies. The protection of the environment and the population is a logical extension of the centre’s long-standing expertise in radiation protection.
What is the ALMERA network?
The IAEA established the ALMERA network (Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity) in 1995. It brings together analytical laboratories from around the world, whose competence is regularly verified by the agency itself. At present, ALMERA comprises 202 laboratories across 90 countries. Each member is formally appointed by its respective IAEA Member State. The LRM lab of SCK CEN has been an active member for many years. It provides analysis alongside training and expertise for national and (inter)national missions.