Decommissioning measures for commercial nuclear power facilities in Japan

In January, 1997, the report on the decommissioning measures for commercial nuclear power facilities was submitted by the nuclear power subcommittee of Advisory Committee for Energy. Its contents were investigated for nearly one year by the subcommittee on nuclear reactor decommissioning measures and countermeasures. In June, 1996 Japan Atomic Power Co. decided to stop the operation of the CO2-cooled reactor in Tokai Power Station in March, 1998. The course of the policy investigation on the decommissioning measures for nuclear reactors is described. The technology of the decommissioning measures for nuclear power facilities is the combination of the techniques of decontamination, cutting and disassembling steel and concrete structures, treatment and disposal of radioactive waste, measurement of radioactivity and so on. The stage of discussing the system engineering to execute rational decommissioning measures has come. The standard processes are discussed. The safety in decommissioning measures and the treatment and disposal of waste are described. (K.I.)