November 28, 2011
Monthly Press Conference
Today, President Kawai held a monthly press conference in Aomori City and talked about the "Aomori Prefecture Nuclear Safety Measures Examination Committee", "Current status of our activities at the Reprocessing Plant", and "New Emergency Operations Center."
"Aomori Prefecture Nuclear Safety Measures Examination Committee"
- On November 10, the Aomori Prefecture Nuclear Safety Measures Examination Committee reported the results of its verification review on JNFL Plant to Aomori Prefecture and commented that JNFL's emergency safety measures would function effectively.
"Current status of our activities at the Reprocessing Plant"
- On November 25, JNFL received a instruction document from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry(METI) regarding the implementation of the Comprehensive Safety Assessment for Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities in View of the Accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station of Tokyo Electric Power Company. ("Stress Test"). This is to review the overall safety feature of the facilities when an event that exceeds design assumptions occurs. JNFL will make a report to METI by the end of April next year.
- As for the status of work within the vitrification cell, the inspection of major equipment operated prior to heating the glass melting furnace, such as the glass material feed system and vitrified waste handling equipment, has been completed.
"New Emergency Operations Center"
- The Emergency Operations Center has been prepared as a base of the Emergency Operations Headquarters in view of the 2007 Niigata Chuetsu-oki Earthquake. The Emergency Operations Center was completed on December 1.
- This Emergency Operations Center is designed to withstand an earthquake with a seismic intensity of seven on the Japanese scale, and equipped with an emergency power generating system, as well as the function with satellite communications. The training plan to be performed in midwinter will be carried out at this new Emergency Operations Center.