AOMORI, Japan, March 29, Mar 29, 2006 -- Kyodo

 

Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. plans to begin a test run of Japan's first plant on Friday to extract plutonium and uranium from spent nuclear fuel for reprocessing, the plant operator said Wednesday.

The operator on Friday signed a safety agreement with Aomori Prefecture and the village of Rokkasho, which hosts the plant, and plans to conclude similar agreements with surrounding municipalities Friday before beginning the trial operation later in the day.

Aomori Gov. Shingo Mimura on Tuesday announced a plan to sign the accord to pave the way for Japan Nuclear Fuel, chiefly controlled by the nation's utilities, to begin the operation to reprocess spent fuel from nuclear power plants that have been stuck with a growing volume of it.

The start of a test run represents a major step forward in Japan's attempt to establish a nuclear fuel reprocessing cycle centering on the so-called pluthermal method, under which nuclear power plants will use oxide fuel mixed with plutonium and uranium to be extracted at the Rokkasho plant.

The safety agreement comprises provisions on ensuring safety, information disclosure and the right of local governments to conduct on-site investigations of the plant's premises.

The test run will involve the same procedures as an actual operation, in which the spent fuel will be reprocessed to extract plutonium and uranium.

The plant, whose construction started in 1993, aims to start full operations in August 2007.

The construction costs have grown to 2.19 trillion yen as a result of delays in the start of operations due to a series of problems including a design error in the cooling devices.

News Provided By