ABSTRACT As of the end of 2017, Japan had a stockpile of 48 tons of separated plutonium. It will take more than a decade for Japan to convert most of that plutonium into “mixed-oxide” (MOX) fuel and load it into power reactors licensed to use such fuel. This is a very costly program. Including the cost of reprocessing, MOX fuel costs about ten times more than the low-enriched-uranium fuel that otherwise would be used by these reactors. Yet Japan has a policy to start separating more plutonium from spent reactor fuel as soon as the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant can be put into operation – currently projected for 2021 after 24 years of delay due to a variety of technical problems and upgrades in safety requirements. Japan’s government remains committed to this costly and troubled program primarily because, pending the availability of additional spent-fuel storage space on or off site, reprocessing is seen as the only way to get spent fuel out of reactor pools that are getting full. Because of concerns about the safety of dense-packed spent-fuel pools, however, the prefectures and towns hosting Japan’s power reactors are beginning to accept on-site storage of spent fuel in dry casks. This is the option the United States and many other countries chose after they cancelled their reprocessing programs and their powerplant pools filled up. Its increasing availability in Japan, if backed by a determined policy to accelerate its introduction, should make it possible to cancel reprocessing in Japan as well.

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在日本继续积累分离separated的另一种方法：用干桶储存乏燃料

摘要截至2017年底，日本拥有48吨分离separated的储存。日本将用十多年的时间将大部分p转化为“混合氧化物”（MOX）燃料，然后将其装载到获得许可使用这种燃料的动力堆中。这是一个非常昂贵的程序。包括后处理成本在内，MOX燃料的成本是这些反应堆原本会使用的低浓铀燃料的约十倍。然而，日本有一项政策，一旦六所町后处理厂能够投入运营，便开始从反应堆乏燃料中分离更多的–。目前，由于各种技术问题和安全要求的提高，目前预计到2021年将被推迟24年。日本政府仍然致力于这项耗资巨大且陷入困境的计划，主要是因为：在场内或场外有可用的乏燃料存储空间之前，后处理被视为从充满的反应堆池中排出乏燃料的唯一方法。但是，由于担心密集燃料电池池的安全性，托管日本动力反应堆的县和市镇开始接受将乏燃料现场存储在干桶中。这是美国和许多其他国家在取消其后处理程序并填满电厂后选择的方案。如果有坚定的政策加速其在日本的推广，它在日本的供应量将不断增加，这也将有可能取消日本的再加工。但是，由于担心密集燃料电池池的安全性，托管日本动力反应堆的县和市镇开始接受将乏燃料现场存储在干桶中。这是美国和许多其他国家在取消其后处理程序并填满电厂后选择的方案。如果有坚定的政策加速其在日本的推广，它在日本的供应量将不断增加，这也将有可能取消日本的再加工。但是，由于担心密集燃料电池池的安全性，托管日本动力反应堆的县和市镇开始接受将乏燃料现场存储在干桶中。这是美国和许多其他国家在取消其后处理程序并填满电厂后选择的方案。如果有坚定的政策加速其在日本的推广，它在日本的供应量将不断增加，这也将有可能取消日本的再加工。这是美国和许多其他国家在取消其后处理程序并填满电厂后选择的方案。如果有坚定的政策加速其在日本的推广，它在日本的供应量将不断增加，这也将有可能取消日本的再加工。这是美国和许多其他国家在取消其后处理程序并填满电厂后选择的方案。如果有坚定的政策加速其在日本的推广，它在日本的供应量将不断增加，这也将有可能取消日本的再加工。