The
inventory of Japan’s separated plutonium as of the end of 2013 was
released at the 31st Regular Meeting of the Japan Atomic Energy
Commission on September 16, 2014.
Changes in the plutonium inventory stored in Japan
While nuclear reactors in Japan have been stopped after the Fukushima
nuclear accident, there were changes in the plutonium inventory stored
in Japan. Firstly, 20 assemblies of mixed oxide (MOX) fuel for the
Kansai Electric Power Takahama Nuclear Power Plant Unit 3 arrived from
France (June 27, 2013), which increased the plutonium inventory in
Japan by 901 kg. At Kyushu Electric Power’s Genkai Nuclear Power Plant,
unspent MOX fuel assemblies were unloaded from Unit 3, which increased
the plutonium inventory in Japan by 640 kg. These increases have been
reflected in the plutonium inventory stored by the respective power
companies, thus increasing the total plutonium inventory stored at
nuclear reactors and other facilities in Japan. (The amount on
the Total Plutonium line is different by approximately 3 kg. The
difference is attributed to nuclear loss*1.)
Changes in the plutonium inventory stored in the UK and France
Japan’s plutonium inventory in the UK increased 2,950 kg over last year
while that in France decreased 1,585 kg. Of the increase in the
inventory in the UK and the decrease in the inventory in France, 650 kg
is attributed to exchange between the two countries: 650 kg owned by
Japan (TEPCO) and stored in France was exchanged with 650 kg owned by
Germany and stored in the UK.
The approximately 2.3-ton increase after the 650 kg in the UK-stored
inventory is attributed to “allocation*2,” according to the JAEC
meeting minutes, but the details are unknown.
*1 Nuclear loss: Loss (decrease) resulting from natural decay of fuel substances
*2 When a country
undertakes reprocessing for multiple countries, the country may
allocate the plutonium generated by the operation of the reprocessing
plant to the customer countries, according to the respective contract
amounts.
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