Release
April 28, 2015

Monthly Press Conference

Today, President Kenji Kudo held a monthly press conference in Aomori City and talked about "Status of response to the New Regulatory Requirements" and "30 years since the signing of the Basic Agreement on Plant Siting".

Status of Response to the New Regulatory Requirements

Yesterday, the first review meeting in 3 months was convened regarding the Reprocessing Plant and the MOX Fuel Fabrication Plant. For the Reprocessing Plant, JNFL explained the approach to selecting facilities for protective measures, method of protective measures, and approach to individual countermeasures for internal fires, flooding, tornadoes, etc.

For the MOX Fuel Fabrication Plant, JNFL explained the basic policy and approach on safety to design standards. In response to the request for further consistency, JNFL will continue to sort and address contending issues.

As for seismic safety, the review meeting on March 27 indicated that comprehensive considerations should be given on geological structures in evaluating the southern end of the Deto West Fault. In response, multiple borehole core samples, taken from the Fault's southern end in the past, are being re-examined.

30 years Since the Signing of the Basic Agreement on Plant Siting

Thirty years have passed since JNFL's predecessors Japan Nuclear Fuel Service Limited (JNFS) and Japan Nuclear Fuel Industry Limited (JNFI) signed the "Basic Agreement about Cooperation in the Siting of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Plant" with Aomori Prefecture and Rokkasho Village on April 18, 1985, witnessed by the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan. We wish to express our renewed gratitude to the people of Aomori Prefecture and Rokkasho Village for accepting the facilities and supporting the nuclear fuel cycle business for such a long period of time.

Thanks to their cooperation, JNFL was able to make progress in each of its business areas.

Since operation launch, the Uranium Enrichment Plant has continued to develop high performance devices, with production using a new centrifuge commencing in March 2012.

The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center has accepted a total of approx. 270,000 drums of waste for underground disposal at Unit 1 and Unit 2.

The Spent Fuel Receiving and Storage Facility has accepted approx. 3,384 tons of spent fuel thus far. The Reprocessing Plant finally completed its protracted vitrification testing in May 2013, establishing reprocessing technologies in preparation for operation launch.

The High-Level Radioactive Waste Storage Center has also accepted 1,574 canisters of vitrified waste returned from overseas for temporary storage.

As for the MOX Fuel Fabrication Plant, ten years have passed since the signing of the Basic Agreement on Plant Siting. Construction work is steadily underway at present within the scope in which government permit has been granted.

JNFL has been able to make progress in these business areas thanks to the understanding and support of people in local communities. We will continue to carry out our business with commitment to ‘safety first’, while listening to the voices of those in the local communities with humility.