Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd (JNFL) has received natural uranium at its enrichment plant in the village of Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, northeastern Japan, for the first time in 11 years. JNFL resumed production at the enrichment plant in 2023 and has been using previously stored uranium.
“We want to continue contributing to Japan’s energy security,” Masaaki Saijo, who heads the company’s enrichment operations, told reporters. This time, the plant will accept a total of about 625 tonnes of uranium shipped from Canada. Cylinders containing uranium, each about 3.8 metres long and 1.2 metres in diameter, were transported by truck from a nearby port. Workers checked for radiation leaks or damage after the cylinders were unloaded by a crane.
The plant currently has a production capacity of 112.5 tonnes, with plans to expand its capacity to 150 tonnes by the end of 2025 and to 450 tonnes by fiscal 2028. The company aims to eventually increase the capacity to 1,500 tonnes
The Rokkasho nuclear complex includes: the uranium enrichment plant which started partial operations in 1992 but closed for refurbishment in 2010; a MOX (plutonium-uranium mixed-oxide fuel) fabrication facility, which has yet to begin operation; a low-level nuclear waste storage facility and a high-level nuclear waste temporary storage facility; and a reprocessing plant, which began construction in 1993 but has suffered repeated delays and is still not in operation.
