The operator of the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant said Monday it planned to discharge contaminated water into the Pacific, in an attempt to speed up work to tackle the crisis at the troubled complex.

The total amount of water containing radioactive materials which was set to be released would be 15,000 tons, the Tokyo Electric Power Co. said.

The water had been left in several parts of the plant, preventing workers from handling problems at the plant.

The company said the concentration of the waste water was estimated at about 100 times the legal limit, which was considered as a relatively low level.

The operation would possibly be started from Tuesday, Kyodo News reported.