Japan selects Hitachiomiya as fifth candidate site for nuclear waste survey

Japan’s long-stalled search for a permanent nuclear-waste repository has produced a fifth candidate: Hitachiomiya in Ibaraki Prefecture. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry applied on Aug. 31 to begin the first-stage literature survey there.

The survey would take about two years and examine geological maps and records for signs of volcanoes, active faults and other characteristics relevant to underground disposal. If the process advances, a roughly four-year overview survey would follow, then a detailed survey expected to take about 14 years.

Japan plans to recover uranium and plutonium from spent nuclear fuel under its fuel-recycling policy. The remaining highly radioactive liquid waste is turned into glass and stored temporarily, with the final goal of isolating it in geological formations about 300 metres underground for tens of thousands of years.

Hitachiomiya was selected because officials judged it relatively likely to contain suitable geological characteristics. Its southeastern area was also considered favourable for transport. The city has about 35,000 residents, and parts of it lie within 30 kilometres of the Tokai No. 2 nuclear power plant, an area with an existing evacuation plan.

Mayor Sadayuki Suzuki said he viewed the proposal positively but would first seek the views of the city assembly and residents. Some residents want safety confirmed before the entire community discusses the issue, while others say the waste could have nowhere to go if every other area rejects it. Municipalities that accept the survey can receive up to 2 billion yen in grants. Four other areas are complete or undergoing the survey: Suttsu and Kamoenai in Hokkaido, Genkai in Saga Prefecture, and Minamitorishima in Tokyo’s Ogasawara Islands.