To promote nuclear power generation, Japan has pursued a policy to reprocess spent nuclear fuel so that it can be reused in nuclear reactors.
To promote nuclear power generation, Japan has pursued a policy to reprocess spent nuclear fuel so that it can be reused in nuclear reactors.
Under that policy, spent nuclear fuel will be taken to a reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, where residual uranium and plutonium will be extracted and processed into mixed-oxide fuel.
A number of problems, however, have prevented the reprocessing plant from entering full operations.
The power industry in Japan had hoped to start a "plutonium-thermal" project before the end of fiscal 2015, whereby mixed-oxide fuel will be used to generate power at 16-18 nuclear reactors across Japan.