Press Release
Shipment of Spent Fuel from Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station Units Nos. 1 and 2, and Responses to Damage to Main Condenser Tubes in Unit No. 5
November 19, 2012
Chubu Electric Power Co.,Inc.
The plan for decommissioning of Hamaoka Nuclear Power Station Units Nos. 1 and 2 specifies that spent fuel should be shipped from Unit No. 1 by the end of FY 2012, and from Unit No. 2 by the end of FY 2013. Up to the present, we have been shipping spent fuel from the reactors with consideration of circumstances at the time. Recently, interference from construction work for tsunami defenses, responses to damage to the main condenser tubes in Hamaoka Unit No. 5, and other operations have resulted in the suspension of the shipment of the spent fuel, but Unit No. 5 is now ready to receive the fuel, and we will therefore systematically ship spent fuel from Units Nos. 1 and 2, looking towards completion in accordance to the schedule specified by the decommissioning plan.
Because the lids of the reactor pressure vessel and containment vessel of Unit No. 5 will be closed for the shipment of the spent fuel from Units Nos. 1 and 2, the inspection of the reactor pressure vessel and the internal reactor structures of Unit No. 5 that is being conducted in response to the damage to the main condenser tubes in the reactor will be temporarily suspended.
1. Shipment of spent fuel from Units Nos. 1 and 2
(1) Unit No. 1
At Unit No. 1, one fuel assembly from which a leak of radioactive substances was detected ("damaged fuel assembly" below) is being stored in the fuel storage pool. We have now brought a shipping container for this damaged fuel assembly into the reactor facility.
In the near future, we will conduct inspections including external inspections of the damaged fuel assembly as preparations for its shipment, and will commence its shipment to Unit No. 5 when the necessary permissions from the government are obtained, the procedures for which are presently being conducted.
(2) Unit No. 2
At Unit No. 2, there are currently 1,098 spent fuel assemblies stored in the fuel storage pool. We determined that in order to efficiently ship the fuel assemblies, we would need an extra shipping container in addition to the one already on site, and we have therefore brought another container into the facility.
When the necessary permissions from the government for the utilization of the second container are obtained, the procedures for which are presently being conducted, we will use the two shipping containers for the spent fuel assemblies.
2. Responses to damage to main condenser tubes in Unit No. 5
In order to ship the spent fuel from Units Nos. 1 and 2, it is necessary to ensure a space for operations in Unit No. 5, which will receive the fuel, and we will therefore close the lids of the reactor pressure vessel and containment vessel of Unit No. 5, which are currently open.
Because of this, we will temporarily suspend the inspection of the reactor pressure vessel and the internal reactor structures of Unit No. 5 that is being conducted to enable response to the damage to the main condenser tubes in the reactor. These inspections and evaluations will be recommenced when the shipment of spent fuel from Units Nos. 1 and 2 has been completed, and we are looking towards their completion in September 2014. We will also proceed continuously with inspections and assessment of fuel and equipment other than the reactor pressure vessel and internal reactor structures.
