logo
Kansai Electric to ship more spent nuclear fuel to France

Kansai Electric to ship more spent nuclear fuel to France

Japan Times09-02-2025

Fukui –
Kansai Electric Power is working to double the amount of spent nuclear fuel it will ship to France, increasing it by about 200 tons, informed sources said.
The move comes as Fukui Prefecture, home to several nuclear plants, urges Kansai Electric to address shrinking storage capacity for spent nuclear fuel, the sources said.
In 2023, Kansai Electric announced a plan to ship about 200 tons of the fuel from its Takahama plant in Fukui to France starting in fiscal 2027. Based on the Japanese government's policy, the spent fuel will be used for research on technology to reprocess uranium-plutonium mixed oxide, or MOX, fuel.
At the Takahama plant, about 90% of the spent fuel storage capacity has already been used, and that amount is expected to reach the upper limit in about three years.
About 200 tons of spent fuel will be generated if the No. 1 to No. 4 reactors at the plant are operated for about three years. Kansai Electric has restarted all of its seven nuclear reactors.
The company initially planned to send spent fuel mainly to a reprocessing plant to be built in Aomori Prefecture, but the completion of the facility has been postponed.
Last September, the company notified Fukui Gov. Tatsuji Sugimoto of its intention to review the plan, and said that it would halt three reactors in the prefecture if it fails to come up with a proposal that can win the understanding of officials there by the end of fiscal 2024.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Japan PM aims for nominal GDP to reach 1,000 tril. yen in 2040
Japan PM aims for nominal GDP to reach 1,000 tril. yen in 2040

Kyodo News

time42 minutes ago

  • Kyodo News

Japan PM aims for nominal GDP to reach 1,000 tril. yen in 2040

KYODO NEWS - 8 hours ago - 22:02 | All, Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Monday that Japan should aim to boost its economy to 1,000 trillion yen ($7 trillion) in nominal terms in 2040, instructing his ruling party executives to include it in a pledge for this summer's nationwide election. The size compares with a nominal gross domestic product of around 600 trillion yen in 2024, which met a target set about a decade ago. Japan, however, had lost its status as the world's third-largest economy to Germany the previous year. Ishiba said that while giving priority to ensuring that wage growth consistently outpaces inflation, his Liberal Democratic Party will seek to achieve an over 50 percent increase in average income in the same time frame. The goals were set as the country's major political parties are looking at ways to woo voters with their campaign pledges for the House of Councillors, or upper house, election, with opposition parties calling for reducing the consumption tax to ease the pain of inflation on households. "I wanted to share with Japanese people what specifically a strong economy will look like," Ishiba told reporters. "I've instructed party executives to target nominal GDP of 1,000 trillion yen in 2040 and over 50 percent growth in average income at the top of our election promises" for the upper house contest, he added. Nominal GDP shows the size of an economy in current prices. Japan's economy expanded in 2024 when the country was reeling from the yen's persistent weakness and the resulting cost-push inflation. In the run-up to this summer's upper house election, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the biggest opposition force, is seeking to temporarily remove the consumption tax on food, currently at 8 percent, and offer cash handouts. Party leader Yoshihiko Noda said Monday that combatting inflation is a major theme for the upper house race, which will replace half of the 248-member chamber. Ishiba, however, has taken a cautious stance on lowering the consumption tax rate on food as an inflation-relief measure. The LDP's election chief Seiji Kihara said the party will consider "effective" cash handouts with the use of surplus tax revenue when it formalizes its election platform. Related coverage: Japan's top negotiator eyes U.S. trip this week for 6th tariff talks Many see continued cuts in bond buying as appropriate: BOJ chief Ueda Japan PM says mutual understanding "deepened" with Trump over tariffs

Japan to allocate ¥1.9 tril to quake recovery from FY2026-2030
Japan to allocate ¥1.9 tril to quake recovery from FY2026-2030

Japan Today

time3 hours ago

  • Japan Today

Japan to allocate ¥1.9 tril to quake recovery from FY2026-2030

The Japanese government will allocate around 1.9 trillion yen for reconstruction projects in northeastern areas affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami from fiscal 2026 through fiscal 2030, sources close to the matter said Monday. The third-phase budget reflects rising construction costs and marks an increase from the approximately 1.6 trillion yen allocated in the previous five-year phase through fiscal 2025, the sources said. The new budget will focus on revitalizing Fukushima Prefecture, including the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant and final disposal of decontaminated soil. The government also appears to be prioritizing preparations for the return of evacuated residents, according to the sources. Three reactors at the Fukushima plant suffered meltdowns following the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami, releasing massive amounts of radioactive material and contaminating surrounding land. The government plans to include the next-phase budget in its basic reconstruction policy, which is set to be revised this month. The funding will primarily come from revenue generated by the special reconstruction income tax. By prefecture, Fukushima's reconstruction budget will rise from the 1.1 trillion yen allocated in the second phase, with projects including support for reopening medical facilities and schools in areas where evacuation orders have been lifted. Meanwhile, Iwate and Miyagi prefectures are expected to see cuts from their respective 100 billion yen second-phase budgets, as housing and infrastructure reconstruction in affected areas has largely been completed. Reconstruction programs for the two prefectures in the third phase will cover mental health support and assistance for children, as needed. More than 33 trillion yen has been spent on reconstruction projects for the earthquake as of fiscal 2025. © KYODO

Japan current account surplus in April rises 3.2% to ¥2.26 tril
Japan current account surplus in April rises 3.2% to ¥2.26 tril

Japan Today

time3 hours ago

  • Japan Today

Japan current account surplus in April rises 3.2% to ¥2.26 tril

Japan's current account surplus rose 3.2 percent from a year earlier to 2.26 trillion yen in April, remaining in the black for the third consecutive month, lifted by a significant contraction in the trade deficit, the government said Monday. The surplus, which was the biggest for the reporting month, came as the country's trade deficit shrank 94.8 percent to 32.8 billion yen, as exports increased 4.0 percent to 8.77 trillion yen on the back of brisk demand for semiconductors and food items. Imports decreased 2.9 percent to 8.80 trillion yen, led by a drop in the value of coal and crude oil purchases, according to the Finance Ministry's preliminary data. The current account balance is one of the widest gauges of international trade. A ministry official said the impact of hefty U.S. tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump on the data has been "unclear." Primary income, which reflects how much Japan earns from overseas investments, declined 9.6 percent from a year earlier to 3.59 trillion yen caused by a fall in earnings from direct investments due to a firmer yen. The yen on average traded 5.9 percent higher against the U.S. dollar in April from a year earlier, according to the ministry. Among other key components, the country's services trade deficit expanded 4.8 percent to 768.1 billion yen, affected by increased payments for intellectual property rights. The travel surplus increased 18.3 percent to 675.7 billion yen, with around 3.91 million foreigners visiting Japan, up 28.5 percent from a year earlier. A surplus in the travel balance means that spending by foreign visitors in Japan exceeded the amount spent by Japanese residents overseas. © KYODO

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store