Current Status of Plutonium Utilization
Plan, etc. of the Electric Power
Companies of Japan

March 29, 2016
The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan

Introduction1

 Based on the Basic Position on Japan’s Use of Plutonium decided by the Atomic
Energy Commission on August 5, 2003, the electric power companies of Japan
published a plutonium utilization plan in January 2006 and have updated it every
fiscal year since then.
 Under the national policy of “not possessing plutonium reserves of which use isundetermined”, based on the concept that plutonium recovered at the Rokkasho
reprocessing plant must be fully utilized, including Japan’s inventory abroad, theelectric power companies of Japan have developed a plu-thermal program(utilization of plutonium in light water reactors) to be achieved as early as possible.
The latest plu-thermal program (published in June 2009) aims to introduce MOX
fuel to 16 to 18 reactors throughout Japan by fiscal 2015, and solid progress has
been made: applications for a change in reactor installation license for starting touse MOX fuel have been approved for 10 reactors, three of which have alreadystarted the plu-thermal program*.
* This excludes Unit 3 at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (which will bedicommissioned under a decision made in April 2012)

 After the Great East Japan Earthquake, however, nuclear power plants were shut
down one after another. Currently, utmost efforts are being made to take necessary
actions such as ensuring compliance with the new regulatory standards
established by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).

Introduction
 Since the earthquake, the electric power companies of Japan have refrained
from developing and announcing plans for using plutonium because of theimpacts from the earthquake and the fact that plutonium recovery at theRokkasho Reprocessing Plant is not in operation. Nevertheless, in March 2013
the companies announced their view on the development and announcement offuture plutonium utilization plans as follows: Based on the outlook on progress made by individual electric powercompanies toward restarting reactors and considering the schedule andother factors to start up the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant, we shall compile
and publish a plutonium utilization plan before the restart of plutonium
recovery operations.
 Today, we would like to present the evolving situation since the last report, andannounce the views of Japan’s electric power companies on issues such as thedevelopment and announcement of the plutonium utilization plan and the pluthermal program.

2

Current status
 So far, 26 power reactors of 11 electric power companies have applied for thesafety assessment in accordance with the new regulatory standards. Of these,
5 reactors have received permission and three of them have already restarted
operation*.
 Among the reactors which have received permission for a change in reactor
installation license concerning the plu-thermal program, 8 reactors haveapplied for the safety assessment in accordance with the new regulatory
standards, and three of them (Takahama Units 3 & 4 and Ikata Unit 3) havealready received permission.
 Other reactors, however, are still undergoing the examination process or
preparing to apply and therefore, they have no firm plans for a specific timingof restarting.
* The operation of Takahama Unit 3 has been halted in response to a provisional
injunction order issued on March 9, 2016. Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. filed anobjection to this order on March 14, 2016.

34State of progress toward restarting nuclear power plants
Kashiwazaki Kariwa NPS of Tokyo EPC

12345Tomari NPS of Hokkaido EPC

7612Oma NPS of J-POWER
Higashidori NPS of Tokyo EPC

3Shika NPS of Hokuriku EPC

11Higashidori NPS of Tohoku EPC

21Tsuruga NPS of Japan Atomic Power

21Onagawa NPS of Tohoku EPC

Mihama NPS of Kansai EPC

21Ohi NPS of Kansai EPC

12Fukushima Daiichi NPS of Tokyo EPC

431Takahama NPS of Kansai EPC

123213234Fukushima Daini NPS of Tokyo EPC

431223312Hamaoka NPS of Chubu EPC

4Sendai NPS of Kyushu EPC

34: application has been made forsafety assessment under the newregulatory standards

Genkai NPS of Kyushu EPC

12Tokai Daini NPS of Japan
Atomic Power

Shimane NPS of Chugoku EPC

16512345Ikata NPS of Shikoku EPC

123Output classification:Less than 0.5GW

Less than 1GW

1GW or more

: application granted: received permission for change inreactor installation license
concerning the plu-thermal programCurrent status of the plu-thermal program5

 Since the last presentation (in March 2013), progress has been made as somereactors have passed the safety assessment in accordance with the new
regulatory standards. Considering the current circumstances of restarting
reactors, however, we need to delay the target deadline of fiscal 2015 written in
the current plu-thermal program for starting to use MOX fuel in 16 to 18 reactors.
 As for the policy of introducing the plu-thermal program in 16 to 18 reactors
throughout Japan, this plan remains unaltered because this is the number ofreactors needed in order to fully utilize the quantity of plutonium that will berecovered at the Rokkasho reprocessing plant by reprocessing 800 tons of spent
fuel in addition to our inventory abroad.
 Even after the Great East Japan Earthquake, the importance of the nuclear fuelcycle including the plu-thermal program remains unchanged at all. We willcontinue utmost efforts to start the plu-thermal program.

Announcement of the plutonium utilization plan and the pluthermal program Being well aware of the importance of transparency concerning the use ofplutonium to ensure that domestic and international stakeholders accept suchuse by the electric power companies of Japan, we recognize the need toannounce our plutonium utilization plan before restarting plutonium recovery
operations at the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant.
The restarting of nuclear power plants is a major premise for developing
reliable plans for using plutonium and implementing the plu-thermal program.
However, as mentioned in slide 3, many reactors have no firm plans for a
specific timing of restarting at this stage. The electric power companies ofJapan will continue devoting themselves to restarting the reactors and thus
being able to announce our plans for the use of plutonium as soon as possible
from the point of ensuring transparency.
 Based on the outlook of individual electric power companies toward restarting
reactors and considering the schedule and other factors to start up theRokkasho Reprocessing Plant, we shall compile and announce our plutonium
utilization plan and the plu-thermal program before restarting plutonium
recovery operations at the latest.

6

Amount of plutonium(as of the end of December 2015)

Reference(fissile plutonium, kg)

Amount in Japan
Owner
Hokkaido EPC*3Subtotal

France59－

59

66*6－

75

206

JAEA

JNFL

*1*2－

Amount overseas

Power stations*5TotalUK

Subtotal

－66

125

159

364

439

Tohoku EPC

1164

Tokyo EPC

135

620

138

893

2,073 *4, 6

5,976

8,049

8,942

Chubu EPC

81

150

145

376

1,522 *4

745

2,267

2,643

790

90

97

1,332

5,573*4

2,362

7,935

9,267

89

423

355

777

867

Hokuriku EPC

－7－
695－

Kansai EPC

183

454

Chugoku EPC

2069

Shikoku EPC

63109

136

308

32666

698

1,007

Kyushu EPC

76

261

516

854

73

1,0301,103

1,957Japan Atomic Power

101116

217

484

2,739

3,223

3,440

671

1,910

4,211

10,542

14,032

24,57428,784－－(J-POWER) *5Total

1,630* Totals may not add up due to rounding to the nearest whole number. A dash (-) indicates no fissile plutonium owned.
*1 The amount of plutonium already used by the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) for research and development is excluded.
*2 The amount of Puf delivered to electric power companies is given.
*3 When MOX fuel is loaded to a reactor and irradiation starts, the corresponding amount is subtracted from the amount owned.
*4 The amount of plutonium processed, or being processed, or being prepared for processing into MOX fuel, is included.
*5 A portion of Puf recovered in France will be provided to J-POWER by the electric power companies (approx. 0.1 tonnes by Tohoku EPC,approx. 0.7 tonnes by Tokyo EPC,approx. 0.1 tonnes by Chubu EPC, approx. 0.1 tonnes by Hokuriku EPC, approx. 0.2 tonnes by Chugoku EPC,approx. 0.0 tonnes by Shikoku EPC, approx. 0.1 tonnes byKyushu EPC; the total amounting to approx. 1.3 tonnes Puf.)*6 Approx. 40kg of Puf kept in France by Tokyo EPC is planned to be provided to Hokkaido EPC.