Japan selects three firms to clean up Fukushima water

Choosing from a total of 29 companies, the nation of Japan has selected three firms to provide technologies for removing radioactive tritium from contaminated water stored at the damaged-Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture. The three firms selected are U.S.-based Kurion, Inc.; GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada, Inc., a joint venture between General Electric Co. and Hitachi Ltd.; and Russian radioactive waste management company Federal State Unitary Enterprise RosRAO. The Japanese government is reportedly set to provide up to 1 billion yen (about $9.5 million U.S.) for each cost and technical feasibility evaluation of the technologies provided by the three contracting teams. The companies will conduct their testing of the technologies on the Fukushima waters through March 2016.