Japan Nuclear Fuel restarts reconstruction of MOX plant
AOMORI (Kyodo) -- Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. on Tuesday restarted the construction of a plant to produce plutonium-uranium mixed oxide nuclear fuel known as MOX in Rokkasho village, Aomori Prefecture.
The plant, which Japan Nuclear Fuel originally started building in October 2010, will be the nation's first MOX plant to be operated on a commercial basis.
The company had suspended construction due to harsh winter conditions in Aomori and the northeastern region was then rocked by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
The company plans to produce MOX fuel at the Rokkasho plant by extracting plutonium from spent nuclear fuel from power stations in Japan. The plutonium will be mixed with uranium to make MOX fuel pellets.
The MOX fuel will be used in Japan at existing light-water reactors, dubbed "pluthermal" for plutonium-thermal.
The plant is to serve as a key facility in establishing the nation's nuclear fuel cycle.
President Yoshihiko Kawai earlier indicated that the plant's completion, originally planned for March 2016, may be delayed due to the earthquake-induced suspension.
(Mainichi Japan) April 4, 2012
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