April 26, 2012

Monthly Press Conference

Today, President Kawai held a monthly press conference in Aomori City and talked about "Status of work for recovering the discharge flow in System B of the glass melter" and "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" and "Discussion on the Evaluation of Alternatives for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Project")

"Status of work for recovering the discharge flow in System B of the glass melter"

  • Based on the result of the observations carried out on the inside of the furnace from the 6th through 9th of this month, it was determined that chipping operations need not be carried out as there were hardly any residual materials.
  • The condition of the bricks inside the furnace were found to have cracks and chips resulting from normal operation, but there was no major damage and no problems were found with the integrity of the glass melter.
  • The cause of the compromised discharge rate is still undergoing evaluation based on the results of the glass melter observations. From the analysis results of the samples collected from the discharge flow nozzle section, it is presumed to have been caused by small fragments of bricks coming into contact with glass inside the furnace. Verification of the analysis result is going forward taking into account the past operating conditions and the like.
  • After thoroughly rechecking the equipment and machinery in the vicinity of the glass melter and evaluation of the causes, the preliminary verification test is slated to be restarted, and it is thought that heating up of the glass melter should be possible around mid-May.
  • The statutory inspection of pressure vessel related to concentrator and evaporator, and the inspection of the safety steam boiler will be finished in April.

"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")"

  • Reports will be submitted to the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) tomorrow on four facilities: the Reprocessing Plant (while the final commissioning test is in progress), High-Level Radioactive Waste Storage Facility, Uranium Enrichment Plant, and the Low-level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center.
  • The Reprocessing Plant has implemented measures (accident management) to evaluate to what extent the facility can stand up to "events that exceed design considerations" and to scrutinize how to hold this phenomenon in check from further advancement.

"Discussion on the Evaluation of Alternatives for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Project"

  • Three cost calculation scenarios (three different contribution ratio of nuclear energy generation) for the future of the fuel cycle project were presented by the Nuclear Power • Nuclear Fuel Cycle Technology Subcommittee, but in the event the power output generated by nuclear energy is reduced, we would like to see discussions based solidly on the costs of alternative power generation and various other costs that would result from policy changes.
  • Taking into account the fragile structure of Japan's energy supply situation whereby more than 80% of the crude oil and approximately 20% of the LNG sources are in the middle east, and the sharply rising price of crude oil due to the tense state of affairs of the region, and from the perspective of "energy security," a fixed percentage of nuclear power is necessary, and to an even greater extent, the nuclear fuel cycle is significant in order to make effective utilization of energy resources.
  • The citizens of Aomori Prefecture have, for many years, cooperated with the nation's energy policy, and if the trust of the of people of the region were lost, the impact, which cannot be measured in terms of cost alone, would be severe, and thus we hope to carry out discussions in a calm manner and based on the realities.