The roll of accelerators in the transmutation of radioactive materials

In Japan, OMEGA (Options Making Extra Gains from Actinides and fission products) program is promoted. The objective of the program is to explore a possibility to utilize high-level radioactive wastes as useful resources and to make the geological disposal more efficient. In this paper, the concept of OMEGA program and the trend of transmutation techniques using accelerators in Japan and other countries are explained. Based on OMEGA program, PNC has been pursuing a possibility to transmute long-lived FP using accelerators. The high power CW electron linac is developed in PNC. The fabrication, research activities and future plans of the accelerator are reported. (J.P.N.)