Aomori Pref. to House Spent Nuclear Fuel at Interim Storage Facility; Govt, Operator Provide Safety Assurances

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:02 JST, July 30, 2024

Aomori Prefecture plans to sign a safety agreement to allow the operation of an interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in the city of Mutsu in the prefecture, Gov. Soichiro Miyashita said on Monday.

The prefecture plans to conclude the agreement with the Mutsu city government and Recyclable-Fuel Storage Co., the operator of the facility, as early as in August, according to the governor.

The conclusion of a safety agreement is a prerequisite for a spent nuclear fuel interim storage facility to begin operations. The facility will be the first in the country to store spent nuclear fuel outside a nuclear plant site.

Recyclable-Fuel Storage aims to start storing spent nuclear fuel at the facility by September, following a pre-operation inspection by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority.

“We were able to obtain assurances from the central government and the operator that the interim storage will be operated with certainty,” Gov. Miyashita said at a media conference on Monday. The signing is scheduled to take place on Aug. 9.

The governor met with Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ken Saito on July 23. After the spent nuclear fuel’s time at the interim storage facility is up, Saito told the governor that the government has in mind its transfer to the Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd.’s reprocessing plant in the village of Rokkasho in the prefecture and plans to explore its feasibility.

“Our greatest concern was where to take the spent nuclear fuel [after the interim storage]. Receiving clarification was a major factor [for us deciding to conclude the agreement],” Miyashita said at the conference.

The Nuclear Regulatory Authority in August last year completed a series of screening tests on the interim storage facility based on its new regulatory standards.