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• Delays at Japanese fuel cycle plants

  Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd has announced a postponement to the start of construction of its mixed oxide (MOX) fuel plant and a delay in installing new centrifuges at its enrichment plant. Posted Dec 14 2009, 10:37 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: MOX, Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd, fuel, enrichment, construction, delay, centrifuge, mixed oxide fuel

• 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

• NDA endorses continued operation of SMP

  Improvements in performance following the takeover of operations by a new 'parent body organization', has led the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to conclude that the Sellafield MOX Plant should continue operating. Posted Oct 28 2009, 11:59 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: UK, Sellafield, MOX, SMP, mixed oxide fuel, nda, UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

• MOX loading starts at Genkai

  [Japan Today, 15 October] Kyushu Electric Power Co today began loading mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel at unit 3 of its Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga prefecture, Japan, in preparation for the first ever use of the fuel in the country. It is expected to take about five days to load the fuel. The operation had been slated to start on 3 October, but was delayed after an objection from the local parliament. Kyushu plans to restart the unit in early November and to gradually increase output from early December. The company is replacing about one-third of the 193 fuel assemblies in Genkai 3 during the current scheduled refuelling outage, 16 of which will comprise MOX fuel. Preparations are also under way by Shikoku Electric Power Co and Chubu Electric Power Co to introduce MOX fuel into their reactors in or after 2010. In June, Japan's Federation of Electric Power Companies (Fepco) decided to revise its goal of having 16-18 reactors using MOX fuel by fiscal 2015, instead of 2010. Posted Oct 15 2009, 10:56 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: plutonium, MOX, Chubu Electric Power Company, mixed oxide fuel, Kyushu Electric Power, kyushu, Shikoku Electric Power

• Preparations for Japan's first use of MOX

  The loading of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel into the third reactor of the Genkai nuclear power plant in Japan is set to begin on 3 October, ahead of the first ever use of the fuel in the country. Posted Oct 01 2009, 11:37 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Japan, MOX, reactor, genkai, mixed oxide fuel

• Areva awarded MOX contract by Chugoku

  Areva has signed a contract to supply 40 mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies for unit 2 of Chugoku Electric Power Co's Shimane nuclear power plant in Japan. MOX consists of a mix of uranium and plutonium oxides, recovered from used nuclear fuel. Under the terms of the contract, the MOX fuel will be fabricated at Areva's Melox plant in southern France using plutonium recovered from the treatment operations performed at Areva's La Hague plant. The contract comes as part of Japan's program to recycle used fuel and follows contracts signed since 2006 with Japanese utilities Chubu Electric, Kyushu Electric and Shikoku Electric, Kansai Electric and the Japan Electric Power Development Corp (J-Power). Posted Sep 17 2009, 10:43 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Areva, Uranium, plutonium, MOX, mixed oxide fuel, chugoku

• Alternative route for plutonium destruction

  Tennessee Valley Authority is to negotiate the trial use of MOX nuclear fuel in its power reactors as part of the US-Russian agreement to dispose of weapons plutonium. Trials in the past were carried out at Duke Energy's reactors. Posted Jul 15 2009, 11:47 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: TVA, plutonium, MOX

• Japanese MOX target moves back 5 years

  Japanese plans for 16-18 reactors to be using mixed oxide (MOX) fuel by 2010 have been put back by five years, the country's Federation of Electric Power Companies (FEPCO) has announced. Posted Jun 12 2009, 12:13 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Japan, MOX, fuel

• 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

• November construction start for Japanese MOX plant

  [Japan Today, 17 April; Bloomberg, 16 April] Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd (JNFL) plans to start construction of a mixed oxide (MOX) fuel plant at Rokksaho in November. The company has said it is aiming for a startup date of 2015 for the plant, revising the date of 2012 specified in an earlier construction application. It has also said it will spend an extra 60 billion yen ($606 million) to improve seismic safety at the plant, resulting in a 46% increase in plant construction costs to 190 billion yen ($1.91 billion). Construction of the plant had originally been scheduled to begin in 2007 but has been delayed by reviews of seismic criteria. Posted Apr 17 2009, 06:56 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Japan, MOX, fuel

• MOX fuel for Ohma

  The Japan Electric Power Development Co Ltd (J-Power) has signed an agreement with Global Nuclear Fuel Japan (GNF-J) for the supply of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel assemblies for use in the Ohma nuclear power plant in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Posted Apr 06 2009, 12:01 PM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Japan, MOX, fuel, Ohma, Aomori

• 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

• Contract lapse for American MOX

  The contract for MOX reactor fuel to be used by Duke Energy has lapsed and must now be renegotiated. Project owner NNSA said other utilities were interested in using the fuel, made in part from unwanted US nuclear weapons. Posted Mar 18 2009, 11:33 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Duke Energy, MOX, fuel

• MOX shipment starts

  The shipment of mixed-oxide (MOX) nuclear fuel from France to Japan has started. Workers at Cherboug, France began loading containers the fuel early on 5 March. Posted Mar 05 2009, 08:06 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: Japan, MOX, fuel

• MOX gets ready to sail

  Companies have confirmed that a shipment of mixed oxide (MOX) nuclear fuel from Europe to Japan is being prepared, although the exact departure date has not yet been announced. Posted Jan 29 2009, 11:28 AM by World Nuclear News Filed under: plutonium, MOX, nuclear waste, Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty