information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
7 Mai 2014
May 6, 2014
May 6, 2014 1:47 AM GMT+0200
Japan will join a French research effort to develop a new nuclear reactor that promoters say will use fuel more efficiently and produce less atomic waste.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French President Francois Hollande agreed to “intensify their civil nuclear research,” according to a joint statement yesterday following a meeting between the two leaders in Paris.
As part of Abe’s state visit, the Japanese ministries of economy and science and France’s atomic research institute Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives signed an accord to cooperate on a project for a so-called fourth generation fast-breeder reactor called Astrid. Fast-breeder generators are designed to produce, or “breed,” more fuel than they consume for reuse in nuclear fission.
The research deal comes as both countries’ nuclear-power industries are at a crossroads. Operators in Japan are still reeling from the 2011 atomic meltdown at Fukushima after which the country shut its reactors because of earthquake damage, maintenance or safety checks.
Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said in March that it would expedite safety checks on two of Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s reactors, raising the prospect that some nuclear capacity may be restored ahead of peak power demand in summer.
In France, Hollande has vowed to lower dependence on nuclear power to 50 percent of all electricity produced by around 2025. It currently relies on the 58 reactors operated by Electricite de France SA for about three-quarters of its electricity, a greater proportion that any other country in the world. His plan is scheduled to be clarified in a long-delayed energy law.
In 2011, before Hollande was elected, France earmarked 652 million euros ($905 million) to develop a 600-megawatt Astrid prototype by around 2020 with a plan to deploy a fleet starting in 2040. Astrid stands for Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration.
The generator is said to be of the fourth generation because it would come after a model being built now in France, Finland and China called the EPR, which is considered third generation. France’s CEA research institute is working on the Astrid project with EDF and French reactor developer Areva SA. (AREVA)
Future reactors like Astrid would be able to produce as much as 100 times more power using the same quantity of uranium FUEL, according to documents on the CEA’s website. They would also burn long-life radioactive waste.
Even with its nuclear industry hobbled by the aftermath of Fukushima, the Abe government has been actively marketing Japanese nuclear technology around the world. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Areva signed a $22 billion agreement in May 2013 to build a nuclear power plant in Turkey, the first major order for Japan since the Fukushima disaster in 2011.
EDF last year signed a deal to develop EPRs in the U.K.
France decided to close its Superphenix fast-breeder reactor in 1998 following radioactive leaks. Japan’s Monju reactor is idled and has been plagued by challenges including a sodium leak. India has its own fast-breeder reactor program.
To contact the reporter on this story: Tara Patel in Paris at tpatel2@bloomberg.net
06.05.2014_No141 / News in Brief
Research & Development
6 May (NucNet): France and Japan will cooperate on the development of Generation IV fast breeder reactors (FBR) including the Astrid project, which is under development in France.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French President Francois Hollande agreed to “intensify their civil nuclear research,” according to a joint statement yesterday following a meeting between the two leaders in Paris.
As part of Mr Abe’s state visit, the Japanese ministries of economy and science, and France’s atomic research institute France’s Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (atomic and alternative energy commission; CEA), signed an accord that includes cooperation the Generation IV prototype sodium-cooled fast reactor Astrid (Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration).
Astrid will be built at CEA’s Marcoule nuclear site in France. CEA is leading the Astrid project and will design the reactor core and fuel. Areva will design the nuclear steam supply system, and will be responsible for I&C (instrumentation and control) and the nuclear auxiliaries.
An agreement to develop Astrid was signed between the French government and the CEA on 9 September 2010. It gave CEA overall responsibility for the project, providing 652 million euro (about 900 million US dollars) for the programme until completion of the design phase.
Fast neutron reactor projects, which are being explored or constructed in India, Russia, China and Japan, would allow a significant increase in the amount of energy obtained from either depleted or natural uranium.
The technology would also enable plutonium to be used and recycled several times, and minor actinides to be recycled.
The cooperation will also give France the opportunity to carry out tests for Astrid at the Monju FBR in Japan. Monju has been offline since August 2010 because of failures in inspection procedures.
Monju initially started in August 1995, but was shut down four months later after about 700 kilogrammes of liquid sodium leaked from the secondary cooling loop.
The two countries also announced that France’s Areva and Japan’s Atox, a maintenance services company for nuclear facilities in Japan, are forming a 50-50 joint venture called Anadec to provide decommissioning and dismantling services for Japanese nuclear power plants.
The venture will operate as early as this year at the damaged Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant, Areva said.
A Franco-Japan joint venture between Areva and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries intends to sell reactors to “other countries” including Vietnam, another statement said.
Japan and Turkey have already signed an agreement that could lead to the construction of Turkey’s second nuclear power station with four Atmea1 reactor units, a design developed by the Areva-MHI joint venture Atmea.
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May 5, 2014
Kyodo
PARIS – Japan and France agreed Monday to open talks on joint development of defense equipment, signed a document on developing fast-breeder reactor technology and confirmed plans to foster economic dialogue.
In addition to jointly producing unmanned submersibles for surveillance, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French President Francois Hollande reached an accord to hold a summit meeting every year to the extent possible, according to a joint paper that was released after their talks in Paris.
“As the security situation in Europe and East Asia becomes increasingly severe, close coordination between the two countries has never been more necessary,” Abe said as he greeted the press together with Hollande.
The French leader expressed a willingness to hold security dialogue with Japan on many occasions.
Abe has been hoping to forge stronger ties with France, which recently been expanding economic coordination with China.
Japan and France will hold a round of “two-plus-two” security talks between their defense and foreign ministers in Tokyo next year.
In an apparent reference to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and China’s increasing naval assertiveness in Asia, Abe and Hollande voiced opposition to countries that acquire, or assert claims to, part of another country through the use of force in violation of international law, the joint paper said.
To strengthen cooperation on nuclear energy technology, Tokyo and Paris agreed to cooperate on civil nuclear power technology as long as priority is given to ensuring the highest level of safety in the world. In connection with this, officials from both countries signed a document Monday on developing fast-breeder reactor technology designed primarily to reduce radioactive waste.
On the free trade deal being negotiated between Japan and the European Union, the two leaders shared the view that such a deal would be an opportunity to promote growth and employment on both sides and reaffirmed plans to reach an agreement on the pact in the near future.
Abe has so far visited Germany, Britain, Portugal, Spain and France during his swing through Europe. He is scheduled to visit Belgium before returning to Tokyo on Thursday.
May 6, 2014
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140506p2g00m0dm034000c.html
PARIS (Kyodo) -- Japan and France agreed Monday to start negotiating a deal to jointly develop defense equipment, while confirming plans to strengthen cooperation on nuclear energy technology and foster dialogue between their economic ministers.
In addition to joint development of equipment such as unmanned submersibles for surveillance, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and French President Francois Hollande reached accord on holding a summit meeting every year to the extent possible, according to a joint paper released after their talks in Paris.
"As the security situation in Europe and East Asia becomes increasingly severe, close coordination between the two countries has never been more necessary," Abe said as he met the press together with Hollande.
The French president expressed his willingness to hold security dialogue with Japan on many occasions.
Abe has been hoping to forge stronger ties with France at a time when China is expanding its economic coordination with the European country.
Japan and France will hold the next round of "two-plus-two" security talks between their defense and foreign ministers in Tokyo next year.
Apparently with Russia's annexation of Crimea and China's increasing presence in regional waters in mind, Abe and Hollande voiced their opposition to a country acquiring, or asserting its claims to, an area of another country through the use of force in violation of international law, according to the joint paper.
On civil nuclear power, Tokyo and Paris agreed to cooperate under the policy of giving priority to ensuring the highest level of safety in the world. In connection with this, officials of the two countries signed on Monday a document aimed at developing fast-breeder technology designed primarily to reduce radioactive waste.
On a free trade deal being negotiated between Japan and the European Union, the two leaders shared the view that it would be an opportunity to promote growth and employment on both sides and reaffirmed their plans to reach an agreement on the pact in the near future.
Abe has so far visited Germany, Britain, Portugal, Spain and France during his latest swing through Europe. He is scheduled to visit Belgium before returning to Tokyo on Thursday.
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