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The Plutonium-Use Plan for Research and Development in the Japan Atomic Energy Agency for Japanese Fiscal Year 2009Mar. 6, 2009The 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 2009" is shown in Table-1.Outline At the end of Japanese fiscal year 2008 (JFY 2008) JAEA was holding approximately 3.6 tons of fissile plutonium (tPuf) for future use. There was no plutonium use with the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor "MONJU" in JFY 2008. Plutonium recovery in JFY 2009 isn’t planed at Tokai Reprocessing Plant (TRP) for reasons of measures for improvement of quakeproof safety. JAEA plans to use the plutonium in MONJU" and in the Experimental Fast Reactor "JOYO." "MONJU" is expected to use about 0.5 tPuf every year after JFY 2009 for approximately 6 years. "JOYO" is currently carrying out an examination countermeasure for the obstacle of the in-vessel storage rack that occurred in 2007. On the basis of result of this examination, JAEA will determine a new startup time for "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 actual progress of research and development, and therefore will be subject to change. |
