February 27, 2014

Monthly Press Conference

Today, President Kawai held a monthly press conference in Aomori City and talked about "Review on Compliance with the New Regulatory Requirements", "Company-Wide Emergency Drill" and "Japan Nuclear Safety Institute's Comprehensive Assessment of Safety Improvement Initiatives at the Reprocessing Plant".

"Review on Compliance with the New Regulatory Requirements"

  • Review is underway for each process of the Reprocessing Plant. Review is scheduled on the Spent Fuel Receiving and Storage Facility for February 3, on the Shearing and Dissolving Facility for February 21, and on the Separation Facility for March 3.
  • In the past two review meetings, some issues were raised including the scope of "important-to-safety facilities", and the need to explore various possibilities in presenting the approach to setting criteria for severe accident countermeasures. JNFL has accepted the feedback with sincerity, and is currently considering its response.
  • Full-scale review is starting on the Uranium Enrichment Plant today. Review meetings with respect to seismic safety should be convened as early as possible.

"Company-Wide Emergency Drill"

  • JNFL will carry out a company-wide emergency drill on March 4. The drill is based on the scenario that an earthquake measuring 7 on the Japanese intensity scale strikes Rokkasho Village, triggering various events including the loss of off-site power at JNFL's four facilities (Reprocessing Plant, Vitrified Waste Storage Center, Uranium Enrichment Plant and Low-level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center).
  • The drill includes training for each of the Business Divisions to bring these events under control, and verification of partnership between the Business Divisions' emergency response HQ and company-wide emergency response HQ, in order to comprehensively confirm whether they can swiftly put appropriate responses into action. JNFL will continue to conduct trainings anticipating various situations to establish maturity in its ability to respond to any emergencies.

"Japan Nuclear Safety Institute's Comprehensive Assessment of Safety Improvement Initiatives at the Reprocessing Plant"

  • The Japan Nuclear Safety Institute was established to pursue the world's highest level of safety in Japan's nuclear energy industry, in view of lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. The Institute provides assessment, suggestions and recommendations on nuclear licensees' voluntary and continuous initiatives for safety improvement as an entity autonomous from the licensees.
  • JNFL has decided to ask the Japan Nuclear Safety Institute to perform a comprehensive assessment of its safety improvement initiatives in the lead-up to the completion of the Reprocessing Plant, as the company's voluntary activity. The content and timing of the assessment will be announced when they are finalized.