This is the report of a literature survey conducted for the first time in the country in two towns and villages in Hokkaido in order to select a final disposal site for high-level radioactive waste generated from nuclear power generation, so-called "nuclear waste." The draft plan has been finalized, and interviews with related parties have revealed that the entire area of Suttsu Town and some areas in Kamoenai Village, excluding the area around the volcano, will be indicated as candidate sites for the next stage of the survey.
The law stipulates that nuclear waste must be buried 300 meters or deeper underground for final disposal, and the first stage of "literature research" for selecting a disposal site was completed in November 2020 for the first time in the nation. It is being held in Suttsu Town and Kamenai Village in Hokkaido.
The project's main body, NUMO (Nuclear Power Management Organization), has analyzed over 860 documents, including papers on the geology, volcanoes, and active faults in the two towns and villages, and found that ``the location is clearly not appropriate for the construction of the repository.'' I have been investigating whether there is any.
A draft report summarizing the results has been finalized, and the entire area in Suttsu Town and part of the southern tip of Kamoenai Village, excluding the 15 km radius of the volcano Mt. Shakotan, will be covered in the second stage, which will involve on-site drilling and other activities. Through interviews with related parties, we learned that the site will be indicated as a candidate site for a "Summary Survey".
Most of these areas overlap with areas where the "Scientific Characteristics Map" created by the government in 2017 indicates that there is a relatively high possibility of confirming favorable characteristics.
However, in Suttsu Town, the area with the fault was estimated to have undesirable characteristics according to the ``scientific characteristic map,'' but although this should be taken into consideration in the current draft, the candidate site of the ``outline survey'' was was not excluded.
The original draft of the report will be presented at a national council meeting on the 13th, and will be formally compiled after multiple rounds of deliberation. You will reach a turning point.