EM Shares U.S. Vision for Used Nuclear Fuel Capability During Japan Visit

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management’s Paul Murray, far right, is pictured with Koichi Uchida and Lauren Boyd with the U.S. Embassy in Japan.

JAPAN — A U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Environmental Management (EM) official highlighted EM’s leadership in advancing next-generation used nuclear fuel solutions when he met with representatives with leading Japanese government, research and nuclear organizations recently.

During the visit, Paul Murray, EM senior advisor for used nuclear fuel and high-level waste, gathered with officials from Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and other organizations. Murray discussed EM’s vision for establishing a next-generation recycling and conditioning capability built on decades of experience, expertise and accomplishments in the management of used nuclear fuel and the recovery of strategic nuclear materials.

“Japan remains one of America’s strongest and most trusted allies, and our continued engagement reflects a shared commitment to advancing safe and innovative nuclear solutions that will help meet growing energy demands while strengthening the longstanding partnerships between both nations,” Murray said.

The Japan visit comes after EM participated in the 13th U.S.-Japan Technical Meeting of the Civil Nuclear Energy Research and Development Working Group earlier this year. There, officials discussed continued cooperation on used nuclear fuel management and advanced fuel cycle technologies. Hosted by Los Alamos National Laboratory, the meeting brought together representatives from DOE and several Japanese government organizations, including METI, MEXT and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency.

In the latest Japan meetings, Murray emphasized the breadth of capabilities across the DOE complex and how DOE’s technical foundation positions the United States to accelerate deployment of a robust domestic recycling and conditioning capability that maximizes the value of DOE’s legacy nuclear materials inventory while strengthening domestic supply chains.

EM is laying the foundation for a recycling and conditioning capability that will unlock the value of legacy nuclear materials, strengthen America’s nuclear supply chain, reduce long-term environmental liabilities and establish the capabilities needed to enable America’s nuclear renaissance.

As part of the visit, Murray participated in the 15-Year Fukushima Daiichi International Workshop, jointly hosted by the Nuclear Damage Compensation and Decommissioning Facilitation Corporation, Nuclear Regulation Authority and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ’s Nuclear Energy Agency. The workshop brought together international experts to discuss progress in Fukushima Daiichi decommissioning and the continued advancement of nuclear technologies and capabilities.

-Contributors: Rosa Elmetti, Kyle Hendrix