As Japan moves forward with restarting and constructing new nuclear power plants, the management and recycling of spent nuclear fuel has become a significant challenge. The country's sole planned reprocessing plant has experienced nearly 30 years of delays, now facing its 28th scheduling revision. Meanwhile, one Japanese power company is planning to send spent fuel to France for reprocessing. In France, the La Hague reprocessing plant stores spent fuel in deep pools for five to seven years to reduce radiation levels before further processing.
This ongoing delay in domestic reprocessing capacity highlights a critical weak point in Japan's nuclear energy strategy as it seeks to expand its nuclear power generation.
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