Kansai Electric to ship more spent nuclear fuel to France
Kansai Electric Power is working to double the amount of spent nuclear fuel it will ship to France, increasing it by about 200 tons, informed sources said.
The move comes as Fukui Prefecture, home to several nuclear plants, urges Kansai Electric to address shrinking storage capacity for spent nuclear fuel, the sources said.
In 2023, Kansai Electric announced a plan to ship about 200 tons of the fuel from its Takahama plant in Fukui to France starting in fiscal 2027. Based on the Japanese government's policy, the spent fuel will be used for research on technology to reprocess uranium-plutonium mixed oxide, or MOX, fuel.
At the Takahama plant, about 90% of the spent fuel storage capacity has already been used, and that amount is expected to reach the upper limit in about three years.
About 200 tons of spent fuel will be generated if the No. 1 to No. 4 reactors at the plant are operated for about three years. Kansai Electric has restarted all of its seven nuclear reactors.
The company initially planned to send spent fuel mainly to a reprocessing plant to be built in Aomori Prefecture, but the completion of the facility has been postponed.
Last September, the company notified Fukui Gov. Tatsuji Sugimoto of its intention to review the plan, and said that it would halt three reactors in the prefecture if it fails to come up with a proposal that can win the understanding of officials there by the end of fiscal 2024.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
an hour ago
- Nikkei Asia
Asia needs to open up -- there's no going back to before Trump: ADB chief
Former Japanese currency czar Masato Kanda became head of the Asian Development Bank in February. (Photo by Suzu Takahashi) YUKI FUJITA MANILA -- In an age of growing uncertainty, Asian countries need to open their economies like never before, says Masato Kanda, president of the Asian Development Bank and Japan's former currency czar. Kanda took charge of the ADB, a multilateral financial institution that works to support infrastructure, combat global warming and reduce poverty in the Asia-Pacific region, just after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House and "completely changed the world."
Nikkei Asia
2 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Mizuho Securities to buy UK renewables M&A advisory firm
Mizuho Securities will acquire a renewable energy M&A advisory company based in London. (Source photos by Nikkei) KODAI MIHARA TOKYO -- Mizuho Securities will acquire U.K. mergers and acquisitions adviser Augusta & Co. as part of a bid to expand its foothold in Europe and diversify revenue sources. Mizuho hopes to draw on Augusta's expertise in renewable-energy-related deals along with the Japanese group's own network of customers to take on some of the growing European M&A demand in that field.
Nikkei Asia
3 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Robot maker Fanuc braces for profit hit from US tariffs
Fanuc has logged five straight quarters of rising orders. (Photo by Arata Shigeno) TAKURO HOSODA TOKYO -- Factory robot maker Fanuc has forecast a drop in annual profit despite revenue growth as U.S. tariffs threaten to raise its prices in a vital market. Consolidated orders for the April-June quarter totaled 205.9 billion yen ($1.39 billion), up 4% on the year, the Japanese company said Friday.
