Regarding the research reactor "Fugen", which is being decommissioned in Tsuruga City, Fukui Prefecture, the government and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency have decided to switch to a safer method of dismantling the reactor body, and decommissioning work. has postponed the completion date by 7 years and changed it to 2040.

The research reactor "Fugen", which is called an advanced converter reactor, finished its operation in 2003, and decommissioning work is underway with the aim of completion in 2033.



On the 8th, officials from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the JAEA visited the Fukui Prefectural Office to explain the changes to the plan.



According to that, as a result of verifying the dismantling method of the reactor body scheduled from next fiscal year, it was decided to switch to a safer method.



The dismantling work is planned to be carried out in a pool set above the reactor body to block radiation, but in order to reduce the risk of leakage of water containing radioactive materials, the pool and the reactor body will be directly welded. It means to



Due to the time required to develop remote welding equipment, the decommissioning of the reactor was postponed by seven years from the original plan, and the decommissioning work will be completed in fiscal 2040.



After the meeting, Takahiro Hayashi, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, said, "We would like to work on decommissioning while taking all possible measures to ensure the safety and security of the local community."