26 January 2000

Power Failure at the Rokkasho Vitrified Waste Storage Center

Japan Nuclear Fuel Limited

A power failure occurred at JNFL's Vitrified Waste Storage Center in Rokkasho-Mura at 17:30 today. The incident during electrical maintenance work at the center and was caused by mishandling of power supply system switches. A worker mistakenly switched off the power source that was in use, leading to the power failure. In the event, emergency diesel generators automatically activated and began supplying electricity to replace the lost power, and normal operations were restored at approximately 18:05. Although stoppage of some ventilating equipment was reported during the power loss, this posed no threat to the surrounding environment. The cause of the stoppage has not been identified and is currently under investigation.