Japan’s NRA Approves Draft Review of Dry Storage Facilities at Takahama and Onagawa NPPs

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At its regular meeting on March 26, Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) approved a draft review stating that the planned dry storage facilities for spent fuel at two sites—the Takahama Nuclear Power Plants belonging to the Kansai Electric Power Co. (Kansai EP), and the Onagawa NPP of the Tohoku Electric Power Co.—conform to the approval standards set forth in the country’s Reactor Regulation Act.

The draft will be finalized following consultations with the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), as well as after a period in which the public will be invited to make comments.

The NRA recommends the installation of dry storage facilities at the country’s NPPs, citing the durability of such facilities demonstrated during the 2011 tsunami-caused accident at the Fukushima Daiichi.

In February 2024, Kansai EP submitted applications for prior consent under the safety agreements that it had made with Fukui Prefecture and the towns of Mihama, Takahama, and Ohi for the installation of dry storage facilities for spent fuel at the Mihama, Takahama, and Ohi NPPs, respectively.

Regarding the Takahama plant, the company had already applied to the NRA on March 15, 2024, for Phase 1 of the facility’s construction (to be conducted between 2025 and 2027). The facility will serve Units 1-4 and store up to 22 transportable and storable dual-purpose casks, accommodating approximately 240 tons of spent fuel. Applications for the other two NPPs (Mihama and Ohi) were subsequently submitted in July 2024.

Meanwhile, in February 2024, Tohoku Electric submitted an application to the NRA for changes to its reactor installation, specifically to accommodate a dry storage facility for spent fuel at its Onagawa-2. The facility will consist of two buildings, with the first accommodating up to eight casks and the second
up to twelve.. Construction of the first building is scheduled to begin in May 2026 and that of the second one in August 2030, with operations expected to begin in March 2028 and June 2032, respectively.

Since both plans represent the first cases domestically of certified dual-purpose casks (for both transport and storage), the NRA commissioners agreed to allow the public to make comments prior to finalizing the draft review.