13 December, 2018
Decommissioning FBR Monju: Processing of Fuel Assemblies Is Underway
On December 7, the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) reported to the Safety Monitoring Team of the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on the state of decommissioning the prototype fast breeder reactor (FBR) “Monju.”
The decommissioning plan for the FBR, approved by the NRA at the end of March, comprises four stages. In the first stage, designated a period of removal of fuel (FY18 through 22), major items to be carried out include sampling of secondary system sodium, removal of fuel assemblies, and evaluations of pollution distribution.
The removal of Monju’s fuel assemblies consists of work to transfer the assemblies from the reactor core to a fuel storage tank outside the core (fuel removal), and then from that tank to a fuel pond (fuel processing and storage).
According to JAEA’s explanation at the meeting on December 7, the transfer of fuel assemblies from the tank outside the core to the fuel pond began at the end of August, but as of December 6, only 54 of the 530 assemblies had been transf...more
- 12 December, 2018 ANRE’s Working Group Produces Strategic Road Map for Fast Reactor Development
- 12 December, 2018 JAIF’s Nuclear Industry Survey: Difficult to Reach a Nuclear Power Share of 20-22% by 2030
- 12 December, 2018 Fukushima Governor to Visit Hong Kong in January to Dispel Fears and Misinformation
- 22 November, 2018 Taylor Wilson Boosts SMRs at JAEA Annual Report Conference 2018
- 19 November, 2018 Shimane NPP Proceeding Steadily on Safety Measures toward Restart
- 19 November, 2018 Tokyo City University’s Science Café Features Hands-on Nuclear Exhibition of Robots
- 16 November, 2018 NRA Allows Tokai-2 to Be Operated for Sixty Years, a First for a BWR
- 7 November, 2018 National Nuclear Convention Held, Aiming to Reflect the Voices of Siting Areas
- 17 October, 2018 Shikoku Electric Power Asks Japan’s NRA to Approve Ikata-2 Decommissioning Plan
- 10 October, 2018 The Implications of Removing the “Sun Child” Statue in Fukushima
- 5 October, 2018 JAIF Press Briefing: President Takahashi Foresees Progress in BWR Examinations by NRA
- 28 September, 2018 NRA Approves Review Report Finding Tokai-2 NPP Compatible with New Regulatory Standards
- 28 September, 2018 Hiroshima High Court Rules to Allow Ikata-3 to Restart
13 December, 2018
ANRE Nuclear Energy Subcommittee Resumes Deliberations toward Resolving Issues Based on Fifth Strategic Energy Plan
On December 5, the Nuclear Energy Subcommittee under the Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy held its first meeting in eight months.
The aim of the subcommittee is to help resolve issues related to safety, decommissioning and waste, innovation, and siting areas, based on the positioning of nuclear energy in the nation’s policy between 2030 and 2050, as demonstrated in the fifth Strategic Energy Plan, decided upon by the Cabinet. The subcommittee is chaired by President Itaru Yasui of the Institute for Promoting Sustainable Societies.
At the meeting, prior to discussions on each item, representatives from the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy (ANRE) under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) explained recent trends in nuclear policy.
Discussions by the subcommittee to date have been organized by item as follows:
Furthering safety improvements
Strengthening preparedness and responses to a...more
