News
Japan's 'Dream Reactor' Fuel Removal Faces Uncertainty After France Plant Scrapped
The dismantling of Japan's Monju fast breeder reactor faces complications as a French fuel processing facility project is cancelled. This cancellation casts doubt on the Japanese government's plan to remove spent fuel from the reactor by 2034-2037.
Spent nuclear fuel from the Monju reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, Japan, may have no destination for processing. *The Mainichi Shimbun* reported that plans to construct a new fuel processing facility in France, a leading candidate for reprocessing Monju's mixed oxide fuel, have been abandoned. Monju, once hailed as a 'dream reactor' for its potential to produce more recyclable nuclear fuel than it consumed, has been fraught with issues. Construction finished in 1991, but the reactor experienced multiple accidents, including a sodium coolant leak and fire in 1995. Due to rising safety expenses, the Japanese government decided to dismantle the reactor in December 2016. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency is aiming to complete the decommissioning by 2047.
Key Facts
- Monju is located in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture.
- The Japanese government invested 1 trillion yen (approximately $7.09 billion USD) into the Monju reactor.
- Monju's total operating period was less than one year due to numerous problems.
- The Japanese government decided to dismantle the Monju reactor in 2016 due to increasing safety costs.
- The Japan Atomic Energy Agency intends to complete the decommissioning of Monju by 2047.
- A cancelled French project threatens the removal of spent fuel from Monju by 2034-2037.
- Removing the mixed oxide fuel and sodium coolant is key to the reactor's dismantling, according to NHK.