Takahama Nuclear Power Plant in Japan to Transport 1,600 Drums of Low-Level Radioactive Waste

Kansai Electric Power announced on September 4 that it will transport low-level radioactive waste generated at the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant to the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center of Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited (JNFL) in Rokkasho Village, Aomori Prefecture.

According to the plan, the dedicated low-level radioactive waste transport vessel "Seiei Maru" (Seiei Maru) will berth at the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant on September 5 and depart on September 12 after loading is completed. If the transport schedule is adjusted due to factors such as weather conditions, Kansai Electric Power will announce the actual situation separately.

This shipment consists of 200 dedicated containers holding 1,600 waste drums, all of which are cement-solidified waste, excluding homogeneously solidified waste. Cement-solidified waste refers to solid low-level radioactive waste such as metals, plastics, and filters generated during periodic inspections and other operations at nuclear power plants. After sorting, the waste is cut, compressed, or melted as necessary, placed into waste drums, and solidified using cement-based filling materials.

Homogeneously solidified waste, on the other hand, is typically formed by uniformly mixing low-level radioactive waste such as concentrated liquid waste with materials like cement or asphalt before drumming and solidification. This type of waste is not included in the current transport plan for the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant.