Fugen Nuclear Power Plant

This article is about a nuclear reactor. For the Bodhisattva, see Samantabhadra. For the Austrian municipality, see Fügen.
Fugen Nuclear Power Plant

The Fugen NPP in 1975, Image: Japan Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Location of Fugen Nuclear Power Plant in Japan
Country Japan
Coordinates 35°45′16″N 136°00′59″E / 35.75444°N 136.01639°E / 35.75444; 136.01639Coordinates: 35°45′16″N 136°00′59″E / 35.75444°N 136.01639°E / 35.75444; 136.01639
Construction began May 10, 1972 (1972-05-10)
Commission date March 20, 1979 (1979-03-20)
Decommission date March 29, 2003 (2003-03-29)
Operator(s) Japan Atomic Energy Agency
Nuclear power station
Reactor type HWLWR
Power generation
Units decommissioned 1 x 165 MW
Average generation 345 GWh
The Tsuruga NPP and Fugen NPP together in the same image

Fugen ふげん (Fugen) is a prototype Japanese nuclear test reactor that is shut down and awaiting decommission. It is located in Myōjin-chō, in the city of Tsuruga, Fukui. The design is an Advanced Thermal Reactor, which is a product of Japan. The name "Fugen" is derived from Fugen Bosatsu (Samantabhadra), a Buddhist deity.

The reactor was the first in the world to use a full MOX fuel core. It had 772 assemblies, the most in the world. It has received the title of a historic landmark from the American Nuclear Society.

The design boils ordinary water like a boiling water reactor (BWR) but uses heavy water as a moderator as in a CANDU reactor. The electrical output was 165 MW and the thermal output was 557 MW. On March 3, 2005, the reactor stopped operations.

The plant is located on a site that covers 267,694 m2 (66 acres); buildings occupy 7,762 m2 (1.9 acres), and it has 46,488 m2 of floor space. It employed 256 workers.[1]

Accidents

During dismantling operations it was found that walls with controls did not have the necessary strength at 25 of 34 points.

References

  1. JAEA (Japanese). Facilities Quick View.
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