Companies will continue working together to support progress in the UK and Japan
The organisations tasked with the two most challenging nuclear clean-up jobs in the world have agreed to extend a co-operation agreement.
Sellafield Ltd and TEPCO first agreed to work together in 2014 following the devastating tsunami of 2011 which resulted in irreparable damage at TEPCO's Fukushima Daiichi plant.
After a positive first 10 years of collaboration, the companies have pledged to continue their relationship for up to a further decade.
Akira Ono, chief decommissioning officer at Fukushima Daiichi NPP, formally signed the extension during a visit to Sellafield. The agreement enables sharing of operational and technical knowledge to support decommissioning progress at both sites.
Euan Hutton, Sellafield Ltd CEO, said:
Very few places in the world have decommissioning challenges akin to those at Sellafield.
By working together with TEPCO, we can unlock new technology and techniques. Over the years we have had reciprocal visits and workshops, and we've welcomed secondees from TEPCO to the Sellafield site.
It's been great to welcome Ono-san to Sellafield. I was able to return the hospitality I was shown when I visited the Fukushima Daiichi site 18 months ago.
It's inspiring to hear the progress being made over there. We have many similar challenges. This visit reflects the strength and importance of global collaboration in our industry.
Ono-san said:
We are extremely pleased to have maintained a cooperative relationship with Sellafield in the field of decommissioning for approximately 11 years since signing a cooperation agreement in 2014.
The cooperation to date has been a major force in advancing our decommissioning work. By incorporating international experience and technology, we have achieved results that contribute to the creation of a more reliable and safe decommissioning process. Furthermore, by sharing Japan's efforts and achievements, we have built a relationship of mutual learning.
