Saga Gov. Backs Plan to Use Plutonium Mix in Nuclear Power Plant

By Kyodo News International, Tokyo

Feb. 21–SAGA — Saga Gov. Yasushi Furukawa said Tuesday he will endorse a plan by Kyushu Electric Power Co. to use uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuel, or MOX, at the No. 3 reactor of the nuclear power plant in the town of Genkai in the prefecture.

Furukawa told the prefectural assembly, “I would like to accept the plan. I will make a final decision following discussions at the prefectural assembly.” Last Friday, the Genkai town assembly adopted a resolution calling on the municipal government to accept Kyushu Electric Power’s MOX plan for the plant on the Sea of Japan coast. Genkai Mayor Tsukasa Terada conveyed the town’s acceptance to the governor on Monday.

The governor’s stance paves the way for the prefectural government to accept the MOX-burning plan by the end of March at the earliest.

The 118,000-megawatt No. 3 reactor at the four-reactor Genkai nuclear power plant is expected to become Japan’s first reactor to use MOX fuel.

Kyushu Electric Power, which provides electricity to seven prefectures in Kyushu, plans to begin using MOX fuel by fiscal 2010.

The central government approved Kyushu Electric Power’s MOX plan in September 2005.

The Cabinet approved the MOX method in 1997 as part of its efforts to recycle the growing stockpile of spent fuel from the country’s nuclear power plants.

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