MOX shipment leaves France

July 6, 2017

MOX fuel shipment leaves France for Japan

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170706_17/

A shipment of reprocessed nuclear fuel destined for a Japanese power plant has left France.

Two specially fitted vessels left the port of Cherbourg, northwestern France, on Wednesday.

French nuclear energy firm Areva manufactured the MOX, or mixed oxide, fuel, a mixture of uranium and plutonium reprocessed from spent nuclear fuel.

The fuel is to be used in the No. 4 reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant, which Kansai Electric Power Company restarted in May.

Areva says it is the sixth time the company has shipped MOX fuel to Japan, and the second since the 2011 nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The company says the route of the shipment, which will take about 2 to 3 months to arrive in Japan, will be withheld for two weeks for security reasons.

Areva's nuclear business is struggling. Tough post-Fukushima safety requirements have hit construction of nuclear power plants worldwide.

A company official said they hope to continue supplying MOX fuel to Japan.

July 5, 2017

MOX fuel to be shipped from France to Japan

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20170705_34/

Preparations for shipping MOX, or mixed oxide, fuel to be used in a recently restarted nuclear reactor in Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, is underway in northwestern France.

Two vessels designed for shipping nuclear materials are expected to leave the port of Cherbourg on Wednesday.

French nuclear energy firm Areva manufactured the recycled fuel, which is a mixture of plutonium extracted from spent nuclear fuel and uranium.

The MOX fuel is to be used in the No.4 reactor at the Takahama nuclear plant, which Kansai Electric Power Company restarted in May.

Two specially designed casks containing MOX fuel assemblies were mounted on the vessels by a crane after they were transported to the port on a trailer.

Security was tight as anti-nuclear activists rallied near the port.

According to Areva, this is the sixth time the company is shipping MOX fuel to Japan and the second time since the 2011 nuclear accident in Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The company says the shipment will take about two to three months, but that the route will be announced in two weeks as a precaution.

Areva is facing worsening business conditions as more countries aim to phase out nuclear power plants. The company's spokesman said it hopes to continuously provide MOX fuel to Japan.