SPENT FUEL TRANSPORT EXPERIENCES IN JAPAN

It is a basic national policy to reprocess spent fuel generated at nuclear power stations. Following this policy, the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corporation (currently, Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute (JNC)) has been operating a reprocessing plant in Tokai-mura, Ibaraki Prefecture since 1977. However, since the capacity of the plant is insufficient, electric power companies had consigned reprocessing operations to overseas companies. Shipments to the overseas plants completed in 1998. Full scale reprocessing plant is under construction by Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) in Rokkasho-mura, and its spent fuel storage facility started operation in December 1999. Since then almost all spent fuel is to be sent to Rokkasho-mura. This paper expresses the summary of our experience and future plans of spent fuel transports to the reprocessing plants in Japan. Almost every nuclear power station in Japan has a private wharf. Both reprocessing plants in Tokai and Rokkasho are located on the coast and within 10 miles from the wharf, and none of the nuclear power stations in Japan has railroad access. Consequently, transport of spent fuel is carried out by a vessel. Heavy-duty trailers are used in Tokai-mura and carriers specially designed for spent fuel casks are used in Rokkasho-mura. Approximately 870 MTU of spent fuel have been safely transported by about 200 voyages to the plant in Tokai-mura since 1978.