Fukui Governor approves spent nuclear fuel storage facilities

Fukui Governor Takato Ishida has announced his approval for the installation of dry storage facilities for spent nuclear fuel within the premises of nuclear power plants operated by Kansai Electric Power Company.

The plan involves the construction of facilities at three nuclear power plants in Fukui Prefecture. Specifically, Kansai Electric Power intends to build two facilities at the Takahama plant and one each at the Mihama and Ohi plants. The current approval covers one site at Takahama and one at Mihama, both of which have received permission from the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

These facilities are intended to serve as preparatory sites to facilitate the smooth transfer of spent fuel to interim storage facilities, which are targeted to begin operations outside the prefecture around 2030. Governor Ishida stated that the decision was made after comprehensively considering the efforts of the national government and the operator, as well as opinions from local municipalities and the prefectural assembly, with a priority on ensuring safety.