The Fourth 2018 Fukushima Research Conference (FRC).

The Collaborative Laboratories for Advanced Decommissioning Science (CLADS), Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), held the fourth FY2018 Fukushima Research Conference entitled “Research Conference on Fuel Debris Characterization (ConFDeC2018) ―Sharing Knowledge on Handling/Treatment of Fuel Debris and Damaged Fuels－” at the “LATOV” in Iwaki City on November 5, 2018. The objective of the conference was to share the domestic and oversea experiences and information and discuss the subjects related to the characterization/handling of fuel degradation and fuel debris, which will be necessary to promote the decommissioning research in the future.

Eleven members of the “Experts’ Meeting on Handling of Damaged Fuel and Fuel Debris” organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) participated in the conference under the cooperation of IAEA.

In the session 1, the Nuclear Damage Compensation Facilitation Corporation (NDF) first explained the technical strategic plan 2018 towards the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS). Next, the present status of the research and development related to the decommissioning works was presented by the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning IRID), then the Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO) explained the present situation of FDNPS.

In session 2, the IAEA first explained the outline of the Experts’ Meeting on Handling of Damaged Fuel and Fuel Debris and the activities related to FDNPS. Then, the experts in five organizations presented the lectures on the handling of damages fuels and recent R&D in the respective countries.

Russia, Ukraine, and the Joint Research Centre , European Commission presented the lectures on the present status of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, handling and management of fuel debris and damaged fuels, and the present status of the related research results. Further, the UK reported the management status of the spent nuclear fuels that had been damaged in the reprocessing plant at Sellafield and related research and development.

About fifty people including foreign researchers participated in this conference, and the discussion was made as to the research results in the respective countries. In this conference, the importance of the information sharing through the international organizations and the necessity of the international collaboration were reconfirmed towards the resolution of the difficult problems such as the handling of damaged fuels and fuel debris in the respective countries including fuel debris at FDNPS. From now, the CLADS will further make such an opportunity where experts meet and discuss.