New nuclear facility vital for national policy

Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd. has started testing its spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkashomura, Aomori Prefecture.

This trial run, which seeks to confirm the plant will function correctly, closely reflects the conditions under which the plant will operate. Highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel is being used, and individual operations are comparable to those that will take place when the plant enters full service. The start of the test run means, in effect, that Japan Nuclear Fuel will soon start to extract plutonium from spent nuclear fuel.

..It is not certain, however, that the trial run will pass without any accidents or mishaps. The Rokkashomura facility is gigantic: if all the pipes in the plant were put in a straight line, they would extend for about 1,300 kilometers. There are about 26,000 joins where pipes connect with one another.

Daily Yomiuri