Recycled nuke fuel arrives in Japan for 1st pluthermal generation+

TOKYO, May 18 Kyodo -
Two cargo ships carrying recycled nuclear fuel arrived Monday in Japan from
France for the planned start of Japan's plutonium-thermal power generation in
the fall, power company officials said.

One of the two armed ships entered a port near Chubu Electric Power Co.'s
Hamaoka nuclear power plant in Omaezaki, Shizuoka Prefecture, the first stop
for the delivery of plutonium and uranium mixed oxide, or MOX, fuel.
The ships will also deliver the fuel to Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s Genkai
nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture and Shikoku Electric Power Co.'s Ikata
plant in Ehime Prefecture.
The fuel was manufactured in France for the three utility firms, which also
placed an order for it with Britain, and the fuel was carried in special
containers on double-bottomed ships that would not sink easily in the event of
an accident.
The two ships -- the Pacific Pintail and Pacific Heron -- left the northern
French port of Cherbourg in early March and reached Japan after sailing through
the southwestern Pacific via the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
The Pacific Heron entered the port of Omaezaki and unloaded the fuel for the
Hamaoka nuclear power plant.
Kyushu Electric plans to put MOX fuel into the No. 3 reactor of the Genkai
plant at the time of the next regular inspection in August and start pluthermal
power generation in the fall as Japan's first utility company to engage in such
electricity production.
Some critics say plutonium, which can be diverted to the manufacture of nuclear
weapons, should not be utilized in power generation.
Chubu Electric and Shikoku Electric are expected to begin pluthermal power
generation next year.
It is the third time Japan has transported MOX fuel from Europe following
shipments in 1999 and 2001. The previous shipments for Tokyo Electric Power Co.
and Kansai Electric Power Co. were unused due partly to data falsification of
the transported fuel.
Japan's electric power industry plans to start pluthermal power generation at
16 to 18 nuclear power plants by fiscal 2010 to April 2011.
If Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd.'s spent fuel reprocessing plant in the village of
Rokkasho, Aomori Prefecture, begins operating on a full-fledged basis,
plutonium extracted at the plant will be also used for pluthermal power
generation.
==Kyodo