Kansai Electric leads nuclear metal reuse in construction project

Kansai Electric Power Co. has announced it will use recycled metal from a decommissioned nuclear reactor as a construction material, a first in Japan. The metal will be processed into rebar for a new Emergency Response Centre at its Mihama Nuclear Business Headquarters.

“Clearance metal” is material from decommissioned nuclear facilities with low radioactivity levels. National regulators approve its reuse, stating that their radioactivity levels are so low that they are considered to have a negligible impact on human health.

The initial project will utilise five tonnes of clearance metal sourced from the decommissioned Fugen advanced converter reactor in Tsuruga. This metal will be melted down with general-purpose metal and processed into reinforcing bars for use in the new building’s structure.

The rebar will be used in the construction of the Emergency Response Centre, a facility designed to be approximately three storeys high. It will house an emergency headquarters, accommodation, and rest areas for up to 250 personnel, with operations scheduled to begin around 2029.

Japan faces a huge challenge of managing waste from nuclear decommissioning. Kansai Electric reports that the decommissioning of Mihama units 1 and 2, and Ohi units 1 and 2, is expected to generate a total of 1,008,200 tonnes of waste. Of this, an estimated 27,100 tonnes is clearance metal, highlighting the potential for this recycling pathway to be scaled up significantly.