Japan Nuclear Fuel Co., Ltd. reveals storage amount of spent nuclear fuel by power company for the first time; Completion of reprocessing plant remains unclear
Quick Look
- Japan Nuclear Fuel has released for the first time the amount of stored nuclear fuel stored in the cooling pool at its spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant (Rokkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture) by power company, revealing that Tokyo Electric Power Company has the largest amount at 890 tons.
- The factory started operations in 1998, but the acceptance of waste stopped in 2016, and the current storage capacity is almost full at 2,968 tons.
- The aim is to start operations in the second half of next year, but the outlook is uncertain as the plant has been postponed 27 times so far.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Japan Nuclear Fuel's spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant, located in Rokkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture, began operating its cooling pool in 1998, but full-scale reprocessing operations have been postponed 27 times.
It was revealed on the 12th that Japan Nuclear Fuel has disclosed the amount of spent fuel stored in cooling pools for each power company at its spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant (Rokkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture), which it aims to complete by the end of this fiscal year. As of the end of March last year, Tokyo Electric Power had the largest amount of waste at 890 tons, followed by Kansai Electric Power at 720 tons and Kyushu Electric Power at 400 tons.
Long-term storage affects fuel performance and changes to unsuitable substances - Reprocessing plant
Until now, when fuel was received, the source and weight were made public, but the amount stored by each company was not disclosed. ``We received a lot of inquiries from various places, so after making adjustments both within and outside the company, we decided to post the information,'' said a public relations official.The company started posting the information on its website in November last year.
Other electric power companies included Hokkaido with 110 tons, Tohoku with 100 tons, Chubu with 250 tons, Hokuriku with 20 tons, China with 120 tons, Shikoku with 170 tons, and Japan Atomic Power with 180 tons.
The reprocessing plant's cooling pool began operation in 1998 and has a storage capacity of 3,000 tons. Currently, it is ``nearly full'' (according to a public relations official), with a total capacity of approximately 2,968 tons (12,069 bodies), and they have stopped accepting them since 2016.
The nuclear fuel plant aims to start operations in the second half of next year. Once reprocessing begins, there will be space in the pool, so if all goes well, it is expected that the pool will be able to resume acceptance in FY2028. However, the completion of the factory has been postponed 27 times so far, and the future remains uncertain.
Open Questions
- When will the reprocessing plant actually start operations?
- What impact will the disclosure of storage amounts by electric power companies have on future nuclear fuel cycle policy?
- Are there any alternatives if the storage pool becomes full?
