The plant's operator says the ice wall has helped reduce the radioactive water by half. The plant also pumps out several times as much groundwater before it reaches the tsunami-damaged reactors.
The panel agreed today that the 35 billion yen (USD 320 million) ice wall helps, but doesn't completely solve the problem.
The 1.5-kilometer coolant-filled underground structure was installed around the wrecked reactor buildings to create a frozen soil barrier to keep groundwater from flowing into the heavily radioactive area.