Aomori opposes expansion of nuclear fuel storage facility — The Japan Times
Authorities in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture oppose a plan to expand the number of companies allowed to use an interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in the city of Mutsu. The proposal envisages Kansai Electric Power and Tohoku Electric Power joining the facility’s two current operators.
Operators’ proposal
Four power plant operators informed the city of Mutsu about the plan on Friday. The facility currently accepts spent fuel only from power plants operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, or Tepco, and Japan Atomic Power.
Tepco and Japan Atomic Power may be unable to transport the planned 5,000 tonnes of spent fuel from their power plants to the facility. Therefore, the companies proposed a cooperation mechanism among operators that would allow other energy companies to use the storage facility as well, The Japan Times reports.
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Prefecture’s position
Aomori Prefecture Governor Soichiro Miyashita said that the prefecture would not allow fuel from other companies to be stored at the facility. According to him, this option was not provided for in the agreement with the local authorities in whose territory the facility is located.
The interim storage facility in Mutsu is intended to store Tepco’s and Japan Atomic Power’s spent fuel for up to 50 years. After that, the fuel is to be sent for reprocessing for reuse at the Rokkasho plant, which is also located in Aomori Prefecture.
Earlier this year, Miyashita said he would not agree to accept additional fuel during the current fiscal year. He explained this by uncertainty over the completion and commissioning of the Rokkasho plant, whose launch has been repeatedly delayed. The Japanese government seeks to restart as many nuclear reactors as possible, while finding sites for interim storage of growing volumes of spent fuel is becoming a more urgent issue.
