Aomori-
A temporary storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in the city of Mutsu, Aomori Prefecture, is in the final stages of preparation before it can be put into operation.
With fuel storage pools at nuclear power plants across the country now operating at more than 80% of capacity, the Mutsu facility, the first of its kind built outside a nuclear power plant, is expected to play a key role in Japan’s efforts to establish a nuclear fuel cycle in which uranium and plutonium are extracted from used fuel and reprocessed for use in nuclear power plants.
However, many local residents are concerned that the site will become a permanent storage facility.
