The operator of the Monju prototype fast-breeder nuclear reactor submitted a plan Wednesday to decommission the trouble-plagued facility located in Fukui Prefecture.
The most recent plan presented to the Nuclear Regulation Authority lays out a 30-year time frame to complete the project despite a number of problems that remain unresolved, including where to store the spent nuclear fuel.
The government had originally hoped the Monju reactor would serve as a linchpin for its nuclear-fuel-recycling efforts as it was designed to produce more plutonium than it consumed.