The recovered plutonium at the reprocessing plant is ready to be re-introduced into the nuclear power plants in the form known as uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel.
Japan's electric power companies aim to utilize MOX fuel in 16 to 18 nuclear reactors.
European countries such as France, Germany, Belgium and Switzerland have loaded 6,350 MOX fuel assemblies into light water reactors (LWR) over the last 30 years. The U.S. recommenced MOX fuel usage in 2005. In Japan, an advanced thermal reactor, Fugen, had safely consumed a total of 772 MOX fuel assemblies.