Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facility Inspection Office
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At the Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facility Inspection Office, special inspectors and check officers* perform inspection and confirmation activities concerning the nuclear fuel cycle facility in accordance with legislations and regulations in order to ensure the safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities and foster public confidence.
Activities for Inspection and Confirmation of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities
In order to ensure the safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities in Japan and foster public confidence, special inspectors and check officers* with qualifications stipulated by law conduct inspection and confirmation activities at nuclear fuel cycle facilities in accordance with the fundamental policy of making scientific and rational judgment and ensuring the fairness and neutrality.
Ensuring the Safety of Facilities Through the Witnessed Inspection and Record Verification by Inspectors and Check Officers
The inspectors and check officers* of JNES perform the following inspections and confirmations of various nuclear fuel cycle facilities to ensure safety.
Pre-service Inspection
Pre-service inspectionFor construction and modification works of fabrication facilities, spent fuel storage facilities, reprocessing facilities and waste management facilities, nuclear facility inspectors* perform the witnessed inspection on the spot and the inspection based on the record verification method to check the construction records in order to verify the conformity of the construction to the approved design and construction methods and to the technical standards.
Welding Inspection
After the installation of the additional important equipment and piping, welding inspectors* go to the site to confirm the integrity of welding work. The inspectors conduct the witnessed inspection on the spot using non-destructive testing methods such as radiograph tests and verification of documents and records of welding work.
Periodic Facility Inspection
The fabrication facilities, reprocessing facilities and waste management facilities are subject to the periodic facility inspection conducted once a year during the operation. For the purpose of confirming that all the equipment and systems have enough safety performance specified by the operation license, the nuclear facility inspectors* perform the witnessed inspection and the verification of the records of the periodic licensee’s check.
Confirmation on Consignments and Transport Methods
For the purpose of confirming that the raw uranium, fuel assembly, etc. are safely transported outside the nuclear installation, consignment check officers* and the transport method check officers* conduct witnessed inspections and verification of documents and records, respectively, on individual consignments and on transport methods.
Confirmation on Waste Disposal and Waste Disposal Facility
Confirmation on waste disposalFor the purpose of confirming the safe disposal of low-level radioactive waste generated at nuclear power plants, the disposal check officers* and disposal facility check officers* conduct the witnessed inspection and verification of documents and records, respectively on the individual waste package and on the integrity of the waste disporsal facility.
* All inspectors and check officers are qualified in accordance with “the Act for the Regulation on Nuclear Source Material, Nuclear Fuel Material and Reactors.”
Major Inspection and Confirmation Activities for Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities
*(1) For inspection activities at nuclear power plants, please refer to Inspection Affairs Division
Inspection Affairs Division
*(2) Storage of vitrified waste
Main Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities
| Mutsu-city, Aomori Prefecture | |
| Spent fuel storage facility (under construction) | |
| Rokkasho-mura, Kamikita-gun, Aomori Prefecture | |
| Reprocessing facility (under construction) Fabrication facilities (uranium enrichment facility, MOX fuel fabrication facility (under construction)) (Low-level radioactive) Waste diporsal facility (High-level radioactive) Waste management facility |
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| Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture | |
| Fuel fabrication facility Reprocessing facility |
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| Oarai-machi, Higashiibaraki-gun, Ibaraki Prefecture | |
| (Low-level radioactive) Waste management facility | |
| Yokosuka-city, Kanagawa prefecture Kumatori-cho, Sennan-gun, Osaka Prefecture Kagamino-cho, Tomada-gun, Okayama Prefecture Fuel fabrication facilities |
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