EnergySolutions has been selected by Toshiba Corporation (Toshiba) as the technology provider for the clean-up of the large volume of radioactively contaminated water at the damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. Toshiba has previously been selected as a preferred bidder for the work by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the owner of the plant, and EnergySolutions will now support Toshiba in designing and installing the system to decontaminate the water down to levels satisfying the strict safety limits announced by the Japanese Government, which represent a world-leading standard of clean-up.

The water that is to be treated has been utilized in TEPCO’s ongoing focus on stabilizing the plant and treatment of the cooling water to date has centered on sufficient decontamination to allow its continued use as a coolant for the reactors. TEPCO has now committed to significantly lower the level of radioactive material in the treated water and EnergySolutions will utilize its world-leading technology, including the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS™), to support Toshiba in removing the wide range of radionuclides present, in addition to the cesium which has been removed to date. The team will also provide the treatment and packaging of secondary wastes resulting from the water decontamination process.

This contract comes just over a year following Japan’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and devastating tsunami. TEPCO, the owner of the Fukushima nuclear power stations that sustained the most damage, currently stores more than 125,000 cubic meters of contaminated water (equivalent to 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools).

The contract runs through Fall 2012.