Progress in determining the completion date for the Reprocessing Plant

• The plant's vitrification system has overcome technical challenges to complete vitrification tests in May this year.
• The remaining requirement is to undergo the government's pre-operation inspections. However, the Nuclear Regulation Authority has expressed its intention of not performing the inspection until the plant's compliance with the New Regulatory Requirements is confirmed and as for nuclear fuel cycle facility, including reprocessing plant, they are now under examination for putting them into force by this December.
• JNFL is committed to fully comply with the New Regulatory Requirements. In regard to countermeasures for severe accidents, most of the new requirements can be addressed with the use of portable equipment. JNFL has been actively deploying such facilities and exploring various trainings based on the New Regulatory Requirements in advance to their official promulgation and enforcement.
• In the given situation, JNFL is unable to present a new schedule excepted for "completion in October 2013", as it must be re-examined in light of the contents of the New Regulatory Requirements. Accordingly, the current "construction plan", submitted to the government, must be revised within few weeks, addressing that the completion schedule is "uncertain".
• The new schedule is to be presented when JNFL completes formulating measures for compliance with the New Regulatory Requirements.
• Even though this is for compliance with the New Regulatory Requirements, it is regrettable to have to postpone the completion date once again. JNFL takes it as a great opportunity to re-examine the site's fundamental safety, in our company-wide efforts to work toward "building the world's safest Reprocessing Plant".