Energy News  
Japan eyes restarting controversial 'dream nuclear reactor'

by Staff Writers
Tsuruga, Japan (AFP) Jan 15, 2009
Japan, an economic giant with almost no natural energy resources, is eyeing restarting its "dream nuclear reactor" this year after a raft of safety scares closed the plant for more than 13 years.

The state-run Japan Atomic Energy Agency is putting the final touches to Monju, the nation's only fast-breeder reactor.

It has repeatedly postponed the relaunch as problems keep coming up and it struggles to convince many residents of Tsuruga, 350 kilometres (220 miles) west of Tokyo, of the plant's safety.

"Monju is far from being in a condition that would make local residents feel safe to run it again," said Miwako Ogiso, leader of a group opposed to the gigantic plant.

Fast-breeder reactors, or FBRs, have often been billed as "dream reactors" because they produce more fuel than they consume, producing plutonium by burning the waste left by more conventional light-water reactors.

Major world economies rushed to develop fast-breeders over the past five decades, following the United States, which generated the world's first nuclear energy with an FBR constructed in 1946.

But a series of problems, along with fears over the proliferation of plutonium, which can be converted to produce nuclear weapons, led all Western nations to withdraw from FBR projects.

France is closing its last fast-breeder reactor -- the Phenix -- this year and in 2005 asked to join the Monju project in Japan, which is the only nation without nuclear weapons that still has an FBR programme.

Besides Japan, Russia and India are the only nations that operate fast-breeder reactors, with China planning to start later this year.

Theoretically, fast-breeders would be ideal for resource-poor Japan, which imports virtually all of its oil from the politically unstable Middle East.

Despite being the only nation ever attacked by atom bombs, Japan has embraced nuclear power.

It relies on its 55 light-water nuclear reactors to produce about one-third of its energy needs. Japan would be able to generate power sustainably at Monju by recycling the used nuclear fuel from the light-water reactors.

But the path has not been easy.

In 1995, less than two years after Monju had started generating power, dozens of fire alarms went off as a room filled with thick white smoke.

The Monju operator later discovered that a special thermometer had broken, leaking high-temperature metallic sodium that reacted violently with oxygen.

While there was no danger of a radiation leak, local residents were angered by the secrecy of the operator, which covered up key data and even altered video footage.

"In order to regain confidence from local residents and restart the plant, we had to turn the secretive policy around to a more transparent one, which is the biggest change brought after the accident," said Monju's director general Kazuo Mukai.

But more problems have emerged as the behemoth plant prepares to restart. The operator recently found a corrosion hole on a ventilation duct, which would have leaked radioactive emissions directly into the outside air.

"Since operations have been suspended for such a long time, the maintenance of the facility has been neglected, which is inexcusable," Mukai admitted.

The agency had hoped to restart the plant in February, but it now is looking to autumn or later.

Local residents are far from assured.

"It is completely wrong that they are trying to resume operations at the plant just after quickly fixing the bad parts," Ogiso said. "You never know which part might have gone bad after the plant was closed for 13 years."

Ogiso said her group opposed building any more nuclear plants in Fukui prefecture, where 13 out of the nation's 55 reactors are concentrated, with two more on the way.

Japan also suffers frequent earthquakes. The world's biggest nuclear plant, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa, northwest of Tokyo, was shut down by a strong tremor in July 2007, although no one was hurt.

Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Nuclear Power News - Nuclear Science, Nuclear Technology
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Finnish Fennovoima seeks permit to build new nuclear reactor
Helsinki (AFP) Jan 14, 2009
Finnish utility group Fennovoima submitted Wednesday an application to the government to build a new nuclear reactor in Finland, the ministry of employment and the economy said.







  • Terra-Gen Power Buys Renewable Energy Projects From Airstream Energy
  • Analysis: Ukraine's Soviet energy legacy
  • Xcel Energy Announces All-Source Generation RFP For Its Colorado Customers
  • Analysis: Nigerian forces kill gang leader

  • Germany reports damage at nuclear waste storage site
  • Progress Energy Florida Signs Contract For New, Advanced-Design Nuclear Plant
  • Japan eyes restarting controversial 'dream nuclear reactor'
  • Slovakia postpones reactivating nuclear reactor

  • Does Global Warming Lead To A Change In Upper Atmospheric Transport
  • Greenhouse gas emissions study released
  • Research Into Fair-Weather Clouds Important In Climate Predictions
  • ESA Tests Laser To Measure Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide

  • Experts plead to save tropical forests in peril
  • Canada's forests not helping environment
  • Scam artists sell 'forest' lands in barren northern China
  • Real Christmas trees 'greener' than fakes

  • Indonesia to allow trawling despite overfishing fears
  • Climate Change And Food Supplies
  • CSIRO Sells Wool Scour To Australian Business
  • Russia, China spur worldwide demand for wine: study

  • Ford starts making Fiesta in China
  • No flying cars at this year's Detroit auto show
  • China's BYD to bring plug-in hybrid, electric cars to US in 2011
  • Recession got you down? Buy a hybrid

  • Heathrow expansion to get green light despite protests: reports
  • Cathay defers completion of new cargo terminal due to downturn
  • Britons sign up to own land earmarked for Heathrow expansion
  • Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's skycar

  • Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2
  • Nuclear Power In Space
  • Outside View: Nuclear future in space

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement