Aomori Pref. Asked to Accept New N-Waste Delivery Proposal

Jiji Press

17:33 JST, October 10, 2024

Aomori (Jiji Press)—The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan on Thursday asked Aomori Prefecture to accept its new proposal to deliver nuclear waste returned from overseas to the northeastern Japan prefecture, only to be refused.

During the day’s meeting with Aomori Governor Soichiro Miyashita at the prefectural government office, FEPC Vice Chairman Toshiharu Sasaki presented the idea to exchange low-level radioactive waste returned from foreign countries for a small amount of high-level radioactive waste and deliver it to a facility in Aomori. The nuclear waste was generated from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants in Japan.

Miyashita refused the new proposal, saying, “I can neither understand nor cooperate.”

The FEPC has made a commitment with a French nuclear operator to complete the return of low-level radioactive waste to Japan by the end of 2033. However, as it will be difficult to have the large amount of low-level waste returned to Japan by the deadline due to the need of repeated transportation and time required to construct a new reception facility, the FEPC hopes to keep its promise by replacing it with a small amount of high-level waste.

Meanwhile, the Aomori governor told the FEPC vice chairman, “Please put trusting relationships with Aomori residents first in your business, rather than international credibility.”

Nuclear waste is radioactive liquid waste, generated from the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, that has been vitrified into a solid glass waste form.

In Japan, a reprocessing plant is under construction in the village of Rokkasho in Aomori, but its completion has been repeatedly postponed. Japanese power companies have thus outsourced reprocessing to France and Britain.

Initially planned to be returned were about 1,800 units of low-level waste in stainless-steel containers kept in France. The FEPC now intends to exchange them for 20 units of high-level waste with equivalent external radiation effects and temporarily store them at an existing facility in Rokkasho.

After the meeting with the Aomori governor, the FEPC vice chairman told reporters that the association thinks that the proposed delivery to Aomori is a “necessary option.” He added that the FEPC will continue to explain the plan carefully to the prefecture.

In 2010, Aomori Prefecture agreed to accept low-level waste generated from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing in France and also to exchange low-level waste generated in Britain for high-level waste before accepting it.