A Review of Plans for the Utilization of Plutonium to be Recovered at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant
September
2,
2009
FEPC
Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. (JNFL) has been performing active tests at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP) using spent fuel since March 2006. While these tests have been conducted, plutonium, a product of reprocessing, has been recovered. To ensure transparency in the use of this plutonium, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan (FEPC) announced the Japanese electric utilities’ plans to utilize plutonium in fiscal 2009 on March 6 this year.
Later, on April 16, JNFL altered the schedule for starting up the Rokkasho MOX fuel fabrication plant from fiscal 2012 to fiscal 2015. Then, on June 2, the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of Japan (AEC) advised that the electric power companies review the plutonium utilization plan in order to ensure the transparency of plutonium usage. In response, the electric power companies revised their plutonium utilization plans for fiscal 2009 in addition to the review of their pluthermal programs (utilization of plutonium in light water reactors). And the FEPC compiled and announced these reviews on June 12 this year.
On August 31, JNFL altered the schedule for completion of RRP from August 2009 to October 2010. In response, the electric power companies have revised the plutonium utilization plan for fiscal 2009 as stated in the attachment.
The electric power companies will make continued efforts to carry out the pluthermal programs as early as possible, and seeks to carry them out at 16 to 18 nuclear reactors across the country by fiscal 2015 at the latest when the MOX Fuel Fabrication Plant is scheduled to come on line.
In the early stage of the programs, the electric power companies are planning to use MOX fuel manufactured overseas by using plutonium recovered from overseas reprocessing. Once the Rokkasho MOX fuel fabrication plant commences operation, plutonium recovered at RRP will also be used in due course.
Reference
According to the paper entitled “Concerning the Basic Position on Japan’s Use of Plutonium” decided by the AEC on August 5, 2003, each utility shall announce a "Plutonium Utilization Plan" for its share of the plutonium to be recovered at RRP. In addition, in the “Framework for Nuclear Energy Policy” decided by the AEC on October 11, 2005 and resolved by the Cabinet on October 14, 2005, the utilities are expected to announce their plans for the utilization of plutonium in an appropriate manner.
