SAGA (Kyodo) Saga Gov. Yasushi Furukawa said Tuesday that a local utility's plan to use spent nuclear fuel will be safe, giving the central government momentum to proceed with its contentious "pluthermal" power plan.
The announcement indicates the town of Genkai will soon endorse pluthermal power, paving the way for it to host the nation's first commercial pluthermal reactor.
Pluthermal (plutonium-thermal) is a process that generates power by burning a fuel of mixed oxides of plutonium and uranium called MOX that is made from depleted fuel collected from reactors.