First batch of 69 used assemblies arrived at the facility in September
Japan’s nuclear regulator has officially granted permission for the country’s first interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel to start operating.
The facility in Mutsu City, in the northern prefecture of Aomori, will store for up to 50 years spent nuclear fuel from reactors run by Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) and Japan Atomic Power Company (JAPC).
The first batch of 69 spent fuel assemblies arrived at the facility in September, national public broadcaster NHK reported.
The facility operator, Recyclable-Fuel Storage Company, conducted safety checks on the container and other matters until 11 October, NHK said.
On 6 November, the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) heard a report from its secretariat that there were no problems with the safety checks.
The NRA then decided to issue a certificate giving the go-ahead for operations.
According to NHK, Recyclable-Fuel Storage Company said it received the certificate and the company officially began operating the facility on the same day.
Local residents have expressed concern that it has not yet been decided where spent nuclear fuel will be transferred after the 50 year-deadline.
The Japanese government plans to move the fuel to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho Village, also in Aomori Prefecture, but that facility remains under construction and its completion date has been repeatedly been put back.
Recyclable-Fuel Storage Company said in a statement it would make safety its top priority and operate the facility “with transparency and in line with local demands”.
Recyclable-Fuel Storage Company is a joint venture formed by Tepco and JAPC in 2005. In March 2007 it applied to the Japanese government for a licence to construct the facility. In August 2010, it announced that it had received approval for design and construction.
