September 28, 2011

Monthly Press Conference

Today, President Kawai made monthly press conference in Aomori City and talked about the "current status of our activities at the Reprocessing Plant" and "JNFL view of Japan's energy policy".

"Current status of our activities at the Reprocessing Plant"

  • Since the commencement of the Prior Verification Test is delayed due to the earthquake disaster, the statutory inspection of the safety steam boiler, which had been performed during this idle period, was completed in the middle of last month.
  • As for the "electricity usage restriction", which lasted almost 6 months, and lifted on September 9, we were able to overcome this difficult period by shifting facility equipment inspection to the summer period, and also avoided operation during peak hours as much as possible.
  • Under these circumstances, we are ready to commence the Prior Verification Testing. At present, however, since our Emergency Safety Measures are being reviewed at the Aomori Prefecture Safety Measures Examination Committee, JNFL would like to consider the timing of commencing the Prior Verification Testing, taking into account the results of the said review.
  • The said Committee commented, as an interim report at its meeting held on September 17 that "the emergency safety measures that should be taken at this point in time have already been in place".
  • As part of our efforts, a nighttime training anticipating a station blackout was held in July, which was followed by two additional training in September. To date, approximately 280 employees have confirmed the procedure of supplying power from power source cars and compressed air from air-compressors, and so forth. Nighttime training will be continued for the remaining 160 shift workers.
  • Training is also planned to be performed under the severe winter conditions.

"JNFL view of Japan's energy policy"

  • The Council for the Development of the Framework for Nuclear Energy Policy under the Atomic Energy Commission was re-organized and started the discussion on September 27. Japan's new energy policy will be discussed at this Development Council, the Energy Environment Council, as well as at the Advisory Committee for Natural Resources and Energy.
  • The energy policy to be developed is extremely important and has a decisive influence on Japan's future. In particular, it is said that the nuclear fuel cycle business we are promoting will be examined by the Development Council.
  • The significance and necessity of promoting reprocessing can be pointed out largely from two aspects, that is, to secure natural resources and preserve environment.
  • To secure natural resources, uranium and plutonium that are useful resources can be recovered by reprocessing spent fuel from the operation of nuclear power stations.
  • A little over 20 percent of uranium resources can be saved just by using the uranium and plutonium recovered this way at light water reactors. For example, if approximately 17,000 tons of spent fuel we presently have in Japan can be reprocessed and used entirely as energy, they amount to approximately 5 years of electricity generated by nuclear power stations in Japan or 1.5 years of electricity consumed in Japan. These are not small values for Japan that has very limited natural resources.
  • To preserve environment, if spent fuel is directly disposed of without being reprocessed, uranium and plutonium that are valuable energy resources will be discarded as they are. Moreover, it will take a very long time to let the toxicity of radiation decrease to the level of natural uranium. For example, it will take approximately 10,000 years when spent fuel is vitrified but 100,000 years when it is directly disposed of. By reprocessing spent fuel and vitrifying high-level waste, the volume of waste can be reduced by 30 to 40 percent compared to direct disposal, making it possible to reduce the area of the disposal site to approximately 1/2 to 2/3.
  • For future discussions, JNFL would reaffirm the following three points;
      The first point is that discontinuing reprocessing will have an impact on nuclear power generation. For example, "what should we do with the spent fuel transported from nuclear power stations?" and "how should we process the spent fuel that is presently stored at nuclear power stations?"
      The second point is that the council should take action firmly considering what the siting area thinks or expects. At this month's Rokkasho-mura assembly, an opinion statement was put together to demand that the national government and others promote the cycle business. Aomori Prefecture and Rokkasho-mura have long been cooperating with the national policy over the last 25 years.
    The third point is an international issue. Although it is on the major premise that Japan is naturally committed to peaceful use of nuclear, it is the only country without nuclear weapons that is allowed to engage in reprocessing. It is a valuable rights that was granted through painstaking efforts of our predecessors. JNFL think that we should not give up such a valuable rights so easily.
  • Selection for energy one country would choose may depend on the circumstances of that country. In the context that Japan has very few energy resources and the world has been in an era of insatiable competition for natural resources, nuclear energy should continue to play a certain role and be relied upon for Japan to remain as a leading technology-oriented nation for the next 10 to 20 years to come.
  • JNFL believes that the significance of "nuclear fuel cycle" will never change. We hope that the council will have calm discussions from a medium to long-term perspective in view of the reality.