To promote the reduction of plutonium stored overseas by electric power companies, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan has announced a new plan to make it available interchangeably, such as by exchanging ownership of plutonium.
Electric power companies are promoting "plu-thermal power generation" in which spent nuclear fuel is reprocessed to extract plutonium and used again at nuclear power plants.
Since the domestic reprocessing plant has not been completed, reprocessing is outsourced to companies in France and the United Kingdom, but after the nuclear accident, the restart of the nuclear power plant that produces plutonium power generation is limited, so before the accident. As of December, about 37 tons of plutonium are stored in the two countries.
To promote this reduction, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan announced on the 18th a new plan to make it available interchangeably, such as exchanging ownership of plutonium between electric power companies.
According to it, after 2026, Kyushu Electric Power will first take over 0.7 tons of plutonium contained in nuclear fuel processed in France from another company and proceed with the use, and instead, it will transfer the ownership of plutonium in the United Kingdom. increase.
After that, Shikoku Electric Power will continue to use it in the same way.
Since it can also be used as a raw material for nuclear weapons, Japan has internationally promised not to have plutonium for no purpose, and concrete reduction measures are required.