information about Fukushima published in English in Japanese media info publiée en anglais dans la presse japonaise
28 Mai 2013
May 27, 2013
Operation up in air at nuclear fuel recycle plant reprovcessing
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130527_22.html
All pre-startup tests at a nuclear fuel recycle plant in northern Japan have been completed. But it is unclear when the facility will be put to commercial use.
Japan Nuclear Fuel owns the facility in Rokkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture. The company says it has successfully completed all necessary tests to start running the facility.
The final test began on May 8th and ended late Sunday. The aim was to ensure the safety of a furnace for melting glass used to solidify high-level radioactive waste water. Various tests have been done on and off over the past 12 years.
The company says it plans to complete a trial run by October. This is pending inspections by the Nuclear Regulation Authority.
But the nuclear authority says it will not inspect the facility until December. Officials say that is when it will come up with a new set of nuclear fuel reprocessing standards. New standards take into account lessons learned from the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident.