Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant

The Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant nihongo|六ヶ所村核燃料再処理施設|Rokkasho Kakunenryou Saishori Shisetsu is a Nuclear reprocessing plant owned by Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited. Since 1993 there has been 219 billion yen invested in the project. It is currently undergoing test operations, separating a small amount of used nuclear fuel. It is the successor to a smaller reprocessing plant located in Tokai, Ibaraki.

At the same site there will also be:
*A high level nuclear waste monitoring facility
*An Uranium enrichment plant
*A low level radioactive waste landfill

The low level waste disposal part is of very little notability compared to the other facilities, as they are common at nuclear plant sites as well.

In May, 2006 an international awareness campaign about the dangers of the Rokkasho reprocessing plant, Stop Rokkasho [Stop Rokkasho [http://stop-rokkasho.org/] ] , was launched by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. Greenpeace has opposed the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant under a campaign called "Wings of Peace - No more Hiroshima Nagasaki" [ [http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/campaign/nuclear/hiroshima/slide/index_en_html Wings of Peace] - No more Hiroshima Nagasaki] , since 2002 and has launched a cyberaction [http://www.greenpeace.or.jp/cyberaction/npt/index_en_html] to stop the project.

Vitrification tests completed in November 2007. This consists of pouring high level dry waste reside along with molten glass into steel canisters. [World Nuclear News (WNN). [http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/wasteRecycling/Vitrification_line_tested_for_Japanese_waste_061107.shtml Vitrification line tested for Japanese waste] ]

In June 2008, several scientists stated that the Rokkasho plant is sited directly above an active geological fault line that could produce a magnitude 8 earthquake. But Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited have stated that there was no reason to fear an earthquake of more than magnitude 6.5 at the site, and that the plant could withstand a 6.9 quake. [ [http://www.nature.com/news/2008/080604/full/453704a.html;jsessionid=6354A5F6AC56FA62B732A562992330B7 Japanese nuclear plant in quake risk] ] [ [http://upiasiaonline.com/Security/2008/06/12/japans_nuclear_facilities_face_quake_risk/3945/ Japan's nuclear facilities face quake risk] ]

ee also

*Stop Rokkasho - opposition group
*Other Reprocessing Sites
**COGEMA La Hague site
**Thorp nuclear fuel reprocessing plant

References

External links

* [http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/japans-nuclear-waste-will-spill-from-new-plants-chimney/2008/04/25/1208743246473.html Japan's nuclear waste will spill from new plant's chimney]
* [http://kgmb9.com/main/content/view/8161/40/ Nuclear Waste Processing Plant Environmental Threat?]