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Japan Atomic Energy Agency prez quits over safety at breeder reactor
JAEA president resigns over insufficient safety at Monju reactor
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
The president of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency that operates the Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, resigned on May 17 apparently to take responsibility for its insufficient safety management system.
Atsuyuki Suzuki submitted his resignation to the education ministry, which supervises the agency, on May 16. The ministry accepted the resignation.
The JAEA has been found to have skipped inspections of nearly 10,000 pieces of equipment for Monju since 2010. As a result, the agency is scheduled to receive a business improvement order from the Nuclear Regulation Authority.
“Based on the NRA’s strict evaluations and the education ministry’s demand for (sufficient safety) measures, the (JAEA) president considered his options seriously and concluded that he should resign. We decided to take the conclusion seriously and accept (his letter of resignation),” education minister Hakubun Shimomura said on May 17 in a news conference held after a Cabinet meeting.
THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
The president of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency that operates the Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, resigned on May 17 apparently to take responsibility for its insufficient safety management system.
Atsuyuki Suzuki submitted his resignation to the education ministry, which supervises the agency, on May 16. The ministry accepted the resignation.
The JAEA has been found to have skipped inspections of nearly 10,000 pieces of equipment for Monju since 2010. As a result, the agency is scheduled to receive a business improvement order from the Nuclear Regulation Authority.
“Based on the NRA’s strict evaluations and the education ministry’s demand for (sufficient safety) measures, the (JAEA) president considered his options seriously and concluded that he should resign. We decided to take the conclusion seriously and accept (his letter of resignation),” education minister Hakubun Shimomura said on May 17 in a news conference held after a Cabinet meeting.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201305170072
EDITORIAL: Monju fast-breeder reactor program should be terminated
The agency’s negligence reflects the grim reality of the nuclear fuel recycling program. The program aimed to establish a system to extract plutonium from spent nuclear fuel for reuse in reactors, but it has clearly run into a brick wall.
...
A fast-breeder reactor, which produces more plutonium than it consumes, was once touted as a “dream reactor.” But most of the countries that embarked on developing fast-breeder reactor technology abandoned their projects mainly because of the high cost versus economic benefits.
The Monju reactor started operation in 1994, but it has been out of service most of the time due to a series of problems, including a serious accident in 1995 in which a massive leak of liquid sodium caused a fire. Still, the government continues to spend some 20 billion yen ($197 million) annually to keep the program alive through measures like heating and circulating sodium.
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency, which operates the plant in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, has refused to give up bringing the reactor back on line. In 2009, the agency created an inspection plan to restart the reactor. But it began to skip necessary inspections the following year...
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/AJ201305140036
The agency’s negligence reflects the grim reality of the nuclear fuel recycling program. The program aimed to establish a system to extract plutonium from spent nuclear fuel for reuse in reactors, but it has clearly run into a brick wall.
...
A fast-breeder reactor, which produces more plutonium than it consumes, was once touted as a “dream reactor.” But most of the countries that embarked on developing fast-breeder reactor technology abandoned their projects mainly because of the high cost versus economic benefits.
The Monju reactor started operation in 1994, but it has been out of service most of the time due to a series of problems, including a serious accident in 1995 in which a massive leak of liquid sodium caused a fire. Still, the government continues to spend some 20 billion yen ($197 million) annually to keep the program alive through measures like heating and circulating sodium.
The Japan Atomic Energy Agency, which operates the plant in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, has refused to give up bringing the reactor back on line. In 2009, the agency created an inspection plan to restart the reactor. But it began to skip necessary inspections the following year...
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/views/AJ201305140036
Shut Monju down permanently
MAY 18, 2013
The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday decided to order the Japan Atomic Energy Agency to not engage in further preparatory work to restart the trouble-plagued Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor until the operator improves its safety management to prevent a recurrence of trouble. Monju, located in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, is a core component of Japan’s nuclear fuel cycle project along with the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture.
Monju has been inoperative for most of the past 19 years while Rokkasho reprocessing plant’s full operation has been postponed 19 times due to a series of problems. Given this troubling history and the JAEA’s slipshod safety management, the logical conclusion should be to decommission the Monju reactor and end the nuclear fuel cycle project. The NRA should unambiguously order the JAEA not to restart Monju.
The NRA pointed out that the JAEA had made light of the need to ensure safety at Monju and failed to inspect nearly 10,000 reactor components in an after 2010. Making matters worse, JAEA head Mr. Atsuyuki Suzuki, who resigned Friday, said that the failure to inspect the components was only a procedural matter and did not cause safety problems. Yet among the components are more than 50 parts vital for the safety of the reactor, including a neutron detector that reveals radiation leaks. His attitude is deplorable.
NRA head Mr. Shunichi Tanaka said that the JAEA lacks a basic understanding of safety. Clearly the JAEA has learned nothing from the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, which was caused in part by lax management...
MAY 18, 2013
The Nuclear Regulation Authority on Wednesday decided to order the Japan Atomic Energy Agency to not engage in further preparatory work to restart the trouble-plagued Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor until the operator improves its safety management to prevent a recurrence of trouble. Monju, located in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, is a core component of Japan’s nuclear fuel cycle project along with the spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture.
Monju has been inoperative for most of the past 19 years while Rokkasho reprocessing plant’s full operation has been postponed 19 times due to a series of problems. Given this troubling history and the JAEA’s slipshod safety management, the logical conclusion should be to decommission the Monju reactor and end the nuclear fuel cycle project. The NRA should unambiguously order the JAEA not to restart Monju.
The NRA pointed out that the JAEA had made light of the need to ensure safety at Monju and failed to inspect nearly 10,000 reactor components in an after 2010. Making matters worse, JAEA head Mr. Atsuyuki Suzuki, who resigned Friday, said that the failure to inspect the components was only a procedural matter and did not cause safety problems. Yet among the components are more than 50 parts vital for the safety of the reactor, including a neutron detector that reveals radiation leaks. His attitude is deplorable.
NRA head Mr. Shunichi Tanaka said that the JAEA lacks a basic understanding of safety. Clearly the JAEA has learned nothing from the Fukushima nuclear catastrophe, which was caused in part by lax management...
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/05/18/editorials/shut-monju-down-permanently/