The J-MOX Project: Meeting the challenges of safeguarding a commercial MOX fuel fabrication plant

J-MOX is a large mixed Pu/U-oxide fuel fabrication plant for light water reactors (both PWR and BWR) that will be built in Rokkasho (Japan) on the same site as the Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant (RRP). The plant will have a fully automated process with a maximum annual throughput of 130 tons heavy metal/year. Since 2005, a specific J-MOX project has been implemented within the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with the overall objective of developing and implementing an effective and efficient safeguards approach at J-MOX. The approach will include extensive use of joint-use unattended non-destructive assay (NDA) and containment and surveillance (C/S) systems in remote monitoring mode, the application of Near Real Time Accountancy (NRTA) methods and short notice random inspections. The intra-departmental project requires close coordination and cooperation within the Department of Safeguards to design and create an integrated system of hardware and software that will support the safeguards approach. As with RRP, the preparation of the safeguards approach and specification of instrumentation and software requirements during the early stages of facility design and construction is expected to optimize the effectiveness of the safeguards measures while minimizing the intrusiveness of the measures to the facility operation. The safeguards approach and specification of verification instrumentation and software to support analysis are being refined in light of early design information examination and verification activities. The project also manages the future schedule for development, procurement and installation of hardware and software. Lessons learned from RRP have been introduced to optimize the safeguards approach and the systems development. A requisite to developing and implementing an approach of this magnitude is the interactive cooperation of the State authorities and Operator with the IAEA. This paper will provide an overview of the structure, functioning and challenges of the IAEA’s J-MOX project.