November 27, 2013

Monthly Press Conference


Today, President Kawai held a monthly press conference in Aomori City and talked about the "status of approach to the New Regulatory Requirements".

Process toward application

  • As the New Regulatory Requirements will be enforced on December 18, JNFL plans to report its measures of each facility, how to comply with the New Regulatory Requirements.
  • Subsequently, in order to apply for safety evaluation to the Nuclear Regulation Authority, a request for understanding will be submitted to Aomori Prefecture and Rokkasho Village, based on the Safety Agreement. As soon as understanding is obtained, application will be submitted for facilities such as the Reprocessing Plant and MOX Fuel Fabrication Plant.

Status of response to the New Regulatory Requirements

  • As for the Reprocessing Plant, it is projected that existing requirements for "natural phenomena", "fire and explosion" and "earthquake" will be reinforced, and measures such as "severe accident measures" and "internal flooding measures" will be newly required.
  • In regard to severe accident measures, JNFL has examined response actions, projecting requirement of measures for 6 items including damage of fuel in the Spent Fuel Storage Pool and criticality occurring in the cell.
  • In specific, portable spray equipment will be installed as a measure against large-scale leakage of Spent Fuel Storage Pool water, and portable equipment that supplies neutron absorber to the dissolver will be installed as a measure to control criticality. Such equipment has already been ordered.
  • In regard to internal flooding measures, installation of waterproof doors and waterproof boards is necessary to prevent impact on electric panels necessary for securing safety, and construction work for such components is being prepared.
  • Measures for natural disasters and fires are also being examined, and construction work is being advanced where necessary.
  • In regard to the MOX Fuel Fabrication Plant, application will be submitted after the new requirements have been enforced. As the MOX Fuel Fabrication Plant is currently undergoing construction, application for design and licensing of construction method (construction license) will be submitted at each stage to receive examination that they comply with the new requirements.
  • In regard to the Uranium Enrichment Plant, application will be submitted after the New Regulatory Requirements have been enforced. Compliance with the new requirements is being evaluated and confirmed, and measures will be implemented, as required.
  • In regard to the Low-level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center, since regular evaluation based on latest technical knowledge is required in the new regulatory requirements, application for the approval of change in technical specifications including this requirement will be submitted.
  • JNFL considers that the software measures are important in addition to hardware measures.
  • JNFL has conducted various trainings in the past. Training to directly supply water to the cooling coil with the pump was conducted on the 5th of this month as a measure to prevent release of radioactive materials outside after high-level concentrated liquid waste evaporates, due to loss of cooling functions, and it has been confirmed that the event is handled according to procedures.
  • Training to check "whether measures based on prepared procedures can be implemented within the target time" will be conducted for other severe accident measures.
  • As there is less than a month until enforcement of the New Regulatory Requirements, the entire company of JNFL is taking all possible measures to prepare for said requirements.