Some technologies achieve a life of their own that defies rational critique. In the USA, military hardware crowds this strange category–the B-52 strategic bomber, tactical nukes, and the Patriot anti-missile missile, whose development dates back to the 1950’s, go on and on and on no matter what. In Japan, this month marks the 30th anniversary of government approval for building the Monju fast-breeder reactor, which worked on and (almost entirely) off until it was closed indefinitely for safety violations this week. Cost so far: at least $10 billion–money that clearly should have been spent on R&D about conventional light-water reactors, which comprise all of Japan’s nuclear power stations.
Also known as a fast neutron reactor (FNR), Monju was conceived to demonstrate a design for burning uranium more efficiently than in conventional reactors, a goal made economically obsolete by worldwide uranium surpluses. FNR’s are cooled with molten sodium, which ignites on contact with air and reacts with water to release explosive hydrogen. They are a psychotic plumber’s worst nightmare. In 1995, Monju leaked some 640 kilograms of sodium coolant from its secondary loop, starting an intense fire that shut down the plant. An official coverup of the incident inflamed public opinion. It took an order from the Japanese Supreme Court to restart in May 2010, but three months later a 3-ton crane for servicing the core fell into the reactor vessel and was not removed until June 2011. Meanwhile, the Fukushima Daiichi disaster somewhat changed the sociopolitical climate for nuclear power in Japan.
The latest shutdown order came after the Japan Atomic Energy Agency was found to have skipped inspections of nearly 10,000 pieces of equipment since 2010, including crucial devices in safety and emergency systems.
Oh yes–there is a geologic fault running directly below the Monju reactor that could move in tandem with a nearby active fault. In accordance with new post-Fukushima regulations, Monju will have to be protected somehow from earthquakes, if it ever starts up again.
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UPDATE 6/22/13: Japan Atomic Energy Agency apologized after finding that 12,000 pieces of equipment escaped safety checks, including a sodium coolant pump.