We Can Take It Slow

Some informations

2008-04-27T18:42:00.002-04:00

More information

+Japan: Rokkasho nuclear reprocessing plant fuels debate

+Citizen's Nuclear Information Center

About the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant

+Wikipedia: the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant

+Wikipedia: the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant(Japanese)

If you feel you'd like to participate against the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant, please sign the petition below!

Petition

+Your voice to governor of Aomori prefecture by greenpeace

+Petition to the prime minister of Japan by Surfrider Foundation Action Network

Against the reprocessing plant movement

+No nuke more hearts(Japanese)

+Stop Rokkasho

About nuclear plant

+6 reasons against nuclear energy

Did they, indeed !?

2008-04-25T19:01:00.001-04:00

Oma MOX plant gets nod from ministry

04/24/2008
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry gave the go-ahead Wednesday to construct the world's first MOX-only nuclear power plant, in Oma, Aomori Prefecture.

The new plant could play a key role in Japan's nuclear fuel recycling policy.

Plans call for the plant eventually to use only mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel, a blend of reprocessed plutonium and uranium. That objective is important because the plant would consume fuel from Japan's growing stockpile of plutonium.

Because plutonium can be converted for use in nuclear weapons, Japan has consistently stated in the past that its plutonium stockpile would only be used to generate electricity. The stockpile reached about 30 tons at the end of 2006.

Electric Power Development Co. (J-Power) will operate the Oma plant.

Construction of the advanced boiling-water reactor (ABWR), capable of generating 1.38 million kilowatts of electricity, will begin in May. The Oma plant will be the first constructed under new quake resistance guidelines revised in 2006.

J-Power hopes to begin operations at the plant in March 2012. Total construction costs are expected to reach 469 billion yen.

An application for construction of the plant was submitted in 1999, but the company had trouble convincing local landowners to sell property for the plant site.

In 2004, J-Power submitted a new plan that moved the reactor core about 200 meters from the first site that was proposed.

Japan's stockpile of plutonium comes from fissile plutonium extracted from spent fuel at commercial nuclear power plants.

Under the nation's pluthermal program, that plutonium will be mixed with uranium and used in nuclear power plants.

Initial plans called for between 16 to 18 pluthermal plants to be in operation by fiscal 2010.

However, at those plants the ratio of MOX fuel to be used will be about one-fourth to one-third of the total, with the rest of the fuel being uranium.

In contrast, the Oma plant should eventually use about three times as much plutonium as would be consumed at other pluthermal plants.

While the Oma plant is to begin operating with less than one-third of its total fuel consumption from MOX fuel, plans call for a shift to complete MOX fuel within five to 10 years.(IHT/Asahi: April 24,2008)

Switch off the Rokkasho reprocessing plant

2008-04-08T06:24:00.006-04:00

Greenpeace set up the English version of "Switch off the Rokkasho reprocessing plant Cyberaction" website. You can send your message to the Governor of Aomori prefecture.
Your voice to governor of Aomori prefecture by greenpeace

Thanks Greenpeace!!

Do you worry about radioactivity?

2008-03-26T18:22:00.002-04:00

Have you ever heard the name of small village in Japan "Rokkasho-mura" ? It is located in Aomori prefecture, northern end of Japan's main island. There is the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant which is a Nuclear reprocessing plant. It is currently undergoing test operations, separating plutonium from used nuclear fuel and emitting radioactivity in the air and the ocean. The Sanriku region is famous for its prominent fishing zone and crops such as apple, Chinese yam and garlic. Aomori prefecture declared that these foods will be polluted with radioactivity.

According to CNIC (Citizen's Nuclear Information Center), "the owner of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant, Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd, plans to reprocess 430 tons of spent fuel during the active test phase, which is scheduled to continue for 17 months. During this period, it will separate between 3 and 4 tons of plutonium, enough for about 500 Nagasaki-type nuclear weapons. If the plant ever operates at full capacity it will separate up to 8 tons of plutonium from spent nuclear fuel each year."

Now, let us stop and think for a moment. First of all, isn't radioactivity contamination a problem? No one can calculate the real impact of the high-level radioactive waste that is emitted during reprocessing at the reprocessing plant to the environment in the long span. Although no significant association between the risk of childhood leukemia and exposure of radiation from the environment was found, a new study suggests that there is some convincing evidence in childhood leukemia of a causal role for environmental radiation exposure in the area around La Hague in France. Is there no deadly legacy for our children?

Secondly, what are they going to do with plutonium? "Commencing reprocessing at Rokkasho will only add to Japan's plutonium surplus. Japan already has a plutonium stockpile of 43 tons. We estimate that this will increase to about 70 tons by the end of 2010 if the Rokkasho reprocessing plant operates according to plan." said Hideyuki Ban, Co-Director of the Tokyo based Citizens' Nuclear Information Center. If it is true, why does Japan needs more Plutonium?

And last but not least, what's up with all the rushing? Local fishermen, environmentalists, and other concerned citizens pointed out no installation of the removable systems for radioactive waste and unregulated radioactivity emitted into the environment unlike nuclear energy plant. Why can't they just wait until all the matter become clear?

I'm not paranoid about all of this, I just don't think it's worth the risks. These spent fuel came from nuclear power plant; accordingly nuclear energy and the reprocessing plant comes together. In order to avoid the most catastrophic effects of global warming, there is a possibility of nuclear energy revival due to low running cost, emission-free features. However, there is still no best answer for what should have done for high-level radioactive waste and used nuclear fuel from nuclear power plant.

Absolutely, there is no border in the air and the ocean. The radioactivity from the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant will spread around more or less. I feel it is not the story of small part in the world and would like to let many people know about Rokkasho and the word 'reprocessing'. I'd like you to think about this.