Text Fwd: Appeal: I Condemn Kyusyu Electric Power Co. for its plutonium-utilization policy.

Text Fwd from Makiko Sato, Aug. 23, 2009

Appeal: I Condemn Kyusyu Electric Power Co. for its plutonium-utilization policy.

It was on March 12th, 1997 that Kyusyu Electric Power Co began its apparent move towards a new system of power generation with the use of pluthermal. It held a meeting with local people in the Town of Genkai, explaining to them their plan of implementation of plutermal power generation at one reactor. Afterwards, our struggle began.

We formed in May 2005 ‘ Circle for demanding Kyusyu Electric Power Co. for an open discussion meeting on pluthermal plan,’ carrying out lecture gatherings within the Prefecture of Saga, negotiations with the company, requesting open discussions. In April 2004 when finally their pluthermal plan fully surfaced, we conducted a campaign titled ‘ Stop pluthermal! Urgent Petition Campaign of 200,000 endorsements,’ requesting Governor Furukawa of Saga not to hastily approve of the pluthermal plan, and submitted to the prefectural office the final 305,068 petitions obtained from around Japan.

On April 28th, 2004, Kyusyu Electric Power Co. formally declared its pluthermal plan at No.3 reactor of Genkai Power Plant, and on March 26th, 2006, Governor Furukawa of Saga Prefecture gave his consent, answering to the company’s request for his approval prior to an official one.

Reacting such approval of his which neglected many voices of opposition among citizens, a counter-action by citizens started in the form of a campaign demanding for a prefectural referendum

where each resident in the Prefecture of Saga will have a vote on the pluthermal plan. We formed ‘

Circle by Residents in Saga for Deciding on Pluthermal and Critical matters in Prefectural Referendum.’ This campaign finally collected the effective number of 49,609 endorsements, and after the public viewing of the petition list, an official request was made to Governor Furukawa of the enactment of an ordinance on a referendum. At an extraordinary session of the prefectural assembly

on Jan. 30th, 2007, two representatives of the above mentioned circle made statements as first citizens to do so at the assembly, asking the assembly members their understanding towards a prefectural referendum, but the referendum draft which was first in Saga prefecture was voted down. Later on, in the City of Karatsu, which is next to the area of the nuclear power plant, similar effort was made by local citizens of requesting the legislation of a municipal referendum, which was similarily rejected by the city assembly.

On March 23rd this year, when MOX fuel was to be brought in, we newly formed ‘ Circle of No! to Pluthermal by Saga Locals,’ determined to halt the pluthermal program. Our new aim is to collect petitions from over 400,000 residents in Saga, as the number is the majority of voters in the prefecture, and then to submit the petitions to the Governor and the Chair of the prefectural assembly. In May, when MOX fuel was supposed to arrive, we carried out ‘ 5.10 Saga Festival for forming human letters of Stop! Pluthermal,’ as if we were defensing our prefecture with human letters by 2000 residents from the danger of the world-wide controversial MOX fuel coming in. Now out struggle is in a bigger swing, with a lot more people of the same spirit involved in.

At the time of Governor Furukawa giving his prior consent in March, 2006, the controversy was centered on how to deal with spent MOX fuel in the near future. As for this issue, the prefectural officer of Saga answered, saying ‘ I hear reprocessing of spent MOX fuel is technologically possible, as it has been actually reprocessed in Japan or abroad. Regarding a second reprocessing plant, we will begin drawing the plan from around 2010, thinking we can handle it properly according to the guideline by the central government that the planned reprocessing operation of spent MOX fuel in the 2nd plant will be decided well in time for the termination of reprocessing operation at Rokkasyo, Aomori.’ However, even in 2009, the situation is not clear as to whether or not such reprocessing operation of spent MOX fuel is possible, which resulted in the decision by The Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan of the postponement of pluthermal plan for 5 years by the electric companies other than the three of Kyusyu, Shikoku, and Chubu Electric Power Companies.

So what is pluthermal plan for? Kyusyu Electric Power Co. says ‘ It is indispensable for Japan which lacks in energy resources to establish a nuclear fuel cycle where spent fuel is reprocessed, collecting plutonium and uranium, which can be reprocessed into usable fuel. Implementing pluthermal plan is indispensable for that.’ However, the recent decision by the Federation of 5-year-long postponement of pluthermal plan in some areas has caused Kyusu Electric Power Co. to lose its outlook soon after the 4-time charges of MOX fuel: With 1.9 ton plutonium Kyusyu Electric Power Co. has in Britain and France, only 4-time- portions of MOX fuel can be produced. Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited changed its initial construction schedule of a MOX fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkasyo, Aomori, from starting in Oct. 2007, completing in Oct. 2012 to starting in Nov.2009, completing in June 2015. That means even if the planned MOX fuel reprocessing plant in Rokkaso starts its operation, it cannot newly produce

MOX fuel until June 2015. Therefore, if MOX fuel is to be charged for the start of operation in Oct. this year, the 4th MOX fuel charge will take place in July, 2013 and the yearly investigation, in Aug. 2014, which means the pluthermal program in Saga might be finished with the fourth charge because the scheduled MOX reprocessing plant in Aomori will not be in operation in time for the charge. When cross-examined on this matter at a shareholders’ general meeting, Kyusyu Electric Power Co. answered, ‘If we have plutonium, we will use it. But if we don’t, we will use uranium. Plutonium is not indispensable and uranium can take place of it.’ This is their true policy. Then what is the reason for their present proceedings of urgency?

We are fighting with all our might in order to halt the pluthermal plan at No.3 reactor of Genkai Nuclear Power plant, in solidarity with anti-pluthermal activities throughout Japan. Let’s keep up our efforts to realize the societies without nuclear power as soon as possible.


Aug. 11th, 2009/08/09

Mamoru Fukae

Network for de-nuclear power