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The Plutonium-Use Plan for Research and Development in the Japan Atomic Energy Agency for Japanese Fiscal Year 2008Mar. 7, 2008The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) announces the plutonium-use plan for research and development as follows: ************** "The Plutonium-Use Plan for Research and Development in the Japan Atomic Energy Agency for JFY 2008" is shown in Table-1. [Outline] At the end of Japanese fiscal year 2007 (JFY 2007) JAEA will be holding approximately 3.6 tons of fissile plutonium (tPuf) for future use. Plutonium recovery in JFY 2008 isn’t planed at Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP) for reasons of measures for improvement of quakeproof safety. JAEA is going to use this plutonium in the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor "MONJU" and in the Experimental Fast Reactor "JOYO". "MONJU" is expected to use about 0.5 tPuf every year after JFY 2008 for approximately 6 years. "JOYO" is carrying out investigation on the obstacle on the in-vessel storage rack. On the basis of result of this investigation, JAEA examines a period in the restoration process of the obstacle on the in-vessel storage rack and judges in the startup time of "JOYO" (the plutonium use start time). When the plutonium use in "JOYO" begins, "JOYO" is expected to use about 0.1 tPuf every year for approximately 6 years. The annual amount and expected time to consume the plutonium, however, will depend on the progress of research and development, and therefore will be subject to change. |
