Tepco Holdings Co Ltd and Hitachi Zosen Co Ltd (Hitachi Shipbuilding) have set up a joint venture to establish a plant for manufacturing various core products necessary for decommissioning, such as used fuel casks and debris storage containers. The new company, Toso Mirai Manufacturing, was established in April. In order to achieve "a balance between reconstruction and decommissioning”, Tepco is bringing together decommissioning industries in the Hamadori area of Fukushima Prefecture, to develop and manufacture core technologies and products for decommissioning.
Hitachi Zosen became the first domestic manufacturer to produce used fuel transport casks in 1978. “We have accumulated technologies and skills related to transportation and storage of used fuel, both in Japan and overseas,” the company said. engineering firm Hitachi Zosen has been manufacturing nuclear fuel transport and storage containers since 1978. It has been manufacturing dry container storage and transportation systems for US fuel management specialist NAC International since the 1980s. It acquired NAC International from then-owner USEC for $45 million in 2013, giving the Japanese company a platform to expand its business in waste fuel transportation and storage.
As part of the integration of the decommissioning industry, Toso Mirai Manufacturing will build a decommissioning-related plant in Hamadori with the aim of starting operations in fiscal 2025.This plant will contribute to the safe and steady decommissioning of nuclear power plants, including the production of spent fuel casks and the planned production of fuel debris storage containers in the future.
“Going forward, we will aim to improve the efficiency of manufacturing processes through co-creation with user companies and vendor companies through Toso Mirai Manufacturing. We will also contribute to the economy, employment, and human resource development of Hamadori by working closely with local companies while focusing on the decommissioning-related products factory.”
Tokyo has a 67% share in the joint venture with Hitachi Zosen holding the other 33%. Toso Mirai Manufacturing has 1.5 billion yen ($13 million) in capital and about 10 employees. However, the partners said there are "dozens of employees" in the plan.
Toso Mirai Manufacturing will initially produce casks to store and transport used nuclear fuel. However, the partners added: "In the future, we plan to create a container to store the cooled and solidified fuel fragments following the melting of nuclear fuel and structures as a result of the Fukushima Daiichi accident."
Tepco and Hitachi Zosen said they were "working to concentrate the decommissioning industry in the Hamamatsuri area in Fukushima Prefecture". Toso Mirai Manufacturing's head office is located in J Village, Fukushima Prefecture, but "in the future, we will consider the location of the head office separately in conjunction with the construction of the Naraha-cho factory."
Earlier in October, Tepco also formed a joint venture with IHI Corporation called Toso Mirai Technology Company Limited to recover fuel debris from damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP. Those plans also announced in April. The company, Decom.Tech, will organise the basic design of the systems and equipment needed to further scale up fuel debris recovery, and will undertake the research and development work required for fuel debris recovery.
Image: Used fuel dry storage casks produced by Hitachi Zosen for Japan Atomic Power Company (courtesy of Hitachi Zosen)
