Abandon Broken Dream

Responding to current decision of Japanese government that it would continue the project of nuclear recycling, Asahi Shimbun delivered featuring story about development of fast-breeder reactors in major countries in the world. As realizing how current situation is far from aimed achievement, one can realize that nuclear recycling is nothing but a dream. The article concluded that the effort of the government is not for making that dream come true but to justify resuming nuclear reactors in a number of nuclear power plants in Japan.

The article quoted the project in France, which is the top runner of nuclear recycling. France started nuclear recycling in 1960s with development of experimental reactor. It evolved to prototype reactor called Phoenix and proven reactor called Super Phoenix. However, the greatest inferiority of FBR was using sodium, which explosively reacts to water, for cooling reactor. Super Phoenix suffered from major accident of leaking sodium in 1987. There is no working FBR in France now.

Plutonium derived from used fuel in nuclear power plants in France is reprocessed to mixed oxide fuel for plutonium-thermal power generation. Annual consumption of MOX fuel amounts to 120 metric tons, which cost is higher than other method of electric power generation. Although France has a plan of developing proven reactor called ASTRID, the process still remains on the desk.

United Kingdom also made attempt of nuclear fuel recycling. But, it ended the project in 1994, seven years after major accident in a prototype reactor, realizing nuclear fuel recycling was not economically efficient. Because U.K. kept on reprocessing used nuclear fuel afterward, it still possesses 100 metric tons of plutonium going nowhere.

United States is the first country that retreated from nuclear fuel recycling. Shocked by Indian development of nuclear weapon from technology for nuclear power generation, the administration led by President Jimmy Carter delivered new policy freezing reprocessing that would cause nuclear proliferation and postponing development of FBR. President Bill Clinton decided research and development of nuclear fuel recycle and stopped all experimental reactors.

Having seen how nuclear fuel recycling is far from commercial level, optimism of Japanese government looks strange. While it decided to dismantle FBR called Monju this year, it still promotes nuclear fuel recycling to next level, building a proven reactor. Asahi questioned that the reason why Japanese government insists on nuclear fuel recycle can be because used nuclear fuel loses its place to go, if reprocessing plant stops working. The paper requires the government to wake up.