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• Full power for Japan's first MOX burner

  Japan's first ever nuclear power reactor to use mixed oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies is now operating at full capacity, fuel supplier Areva has announced. Kyushu's Genkai 3 was loaded with the fuel fabricated from uranium and the plutonium recovered from previously used nuclear fuel in October. It was restarted in early November, gradually increasing output until normal operation was achieved on 2 December. Recycling of plutonium in MOX is to play a key role in Japan's future nuclear fuel cycle, and two other utilities - Shikoku Electric Power Co and Chubu Electric Power Co – plan to introduce MOX fuel into their reactors in or after 2010. Areva's executive vice president of recycling, Jean-Pierre Gros, said the company was "proud to contribute to provide electricity to Japanese citizens for the first time through recyclable fuel MOX which demonstrates its safe, reliable and sustainable energy." Posted Dec 03 2009, 09:18 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Fuel Reprocessing, Japan, MOX, genkai, kyushu, Kyushu Electric Power Company

• France returns metallic reprocessing waste

  Shipments of compacted metallic waste resulting from the reprocessing of used nuclear fuel have been sent by rail from France back to Switzerland and the Netherlands for final disposal. Posted Oct 14 2009, 11:14 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Fuel Reprocessing, France, Switzerland, Netherlands, fuel, metallic waste, rods, reprocessing

• Rejected MOX to be reprocessed

  A consignment of UK-manufactured mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel originally destined for Japanese power plants but never used because of concerns about quality control data is to be reprocessed in France. Posted Jun 10 2009, 11:15 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Fuel Reprocessing, MOX, UK waste

• New Sellafield management takes effect

  Performance has picked up at the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP), as engagement begins with the site's new parent body consortium. Workers at SMP recently celebrated the completion of 24 fuel rods in one day. Posted Mar 24 2009, 12:44 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Fuel Reprocessing, MOX, SMP

• Sellafield sludge plant reaches milestone

  A project to build a facility to deal with sludge accumulated over more than two decades of Magnox fuel processing at Sellafield is making progress, with the first phase of the project reaching a major landmark. Posted Mar 19 2009, 12:30 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Fuel Reprocessing, waste, clean up

• China's Candus could recycle uranium

  Chinese firms have agreed a strategy towards recycling uranium for use again in Candu reactors. The technology to turn used PWR fuel into PHWR fuel is to be demonstrated. Posted Nov 03 2008, 10:35 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: China, Fuel Reprocessing, Candu

• Completion of Rokkasho reprocessing plant delayed

  [Atoms in Japan, 5 March] Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd (JNFL) has announced that the scheduled completion of its Rokkasho reprocessing plant has been put back from February to May. In September 2007, the company postponed completion from November to February due to erroneous seismic designs in some equipment. However, in November it was decided that additional data and inspections of the melting furnace at the vitrification facility were necessary. The inspection of the furnace interior and the removal of residual substances will continue until mid-March. Trial operation of the glass-melting furnace is expected to resume by the end of March. As a result of those changes, JNFL has filed an application with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to change the work plan for the plant. The amount of fuel reprocessed in the financial year to 31 March 2008 has been reduced from 315 tonnes to 210 tonnes. Plans now call for the plant to reprocess 395 tonnes, 480 tonnes and 640 tonnes, respectively, over the following years (compared with previous plans for 330, 493 and 653 tonnes, respectively). The plant is now planned to receive 444 tonnes of spent fuel in the year to end of March 2009, compared with 551 tonnes previously planned. Starting in financial year 2011, both spent fuel and reprocessing will proceed at an annual rate of 800 tonnes. Posted Mar 05 2008, 10:43 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Japan Nuclear Fuels, Fuel Reprocessing

• Used nuclear fuel shipments start

  On 17 December the first transport to France of irradiated fuel still present in Italy was completed. The first two special containers, with 34 of the 1243 fuel rods that will be reprocessed at the plant in La Hague left the shut down Caorso nuclear power plant. Posted Dec 20 2007, 09:41 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Fuel Reprocessing, Spent Fuel