TEPCO Installs Enhanced ALPS System

The Tokyo Electric Power Company successfully installed and has begun testing an enhanced ALPS water treatment system at the Fukushima Daii-chi Power Station, the company announced yesterday. The new ALPS system builds off the existing treatment system in an effort to increase the treatment capacity. TEPCO plans to install two additional systems, with one going on-line at the end of the month and the other starting in October. The enhanced systems should be capable of processing 1500 tons of contaminated water a day in total, twice the capacity of the existing system of 750 tons a day. “The improvements built into the newer ALPS system reflect the lessons learned from the earlier ALPS design,” TEPCO said in a release. “They include new rubber linings to prevent erosion, improved monitoring of water flow, improved leak detection, enhanced backup equipment and enhanced physical barriers to contain any leaks.” TEPCO also hinted in its release that an even more enhanced ALPS is in the works, with planned testing to begin in October.