(Mainichi Japan) May 12, 2011
The United States Embassy in Japan has emphatically denied a Mainichi report that the U.S. and Japan were in talks to build a nuclear waste disposal and processing facility in Mongolia.
"The U.S. government is not negotiating a deal to send spent nuclear fuel to Mongolia," the U.S. Embassy stated on May 10. "There are a number of inaccuracies in the stories being reported today in Japanese newspapers about a spent nuclear fuel facility in Mongolia," the statement continued, referring to a media firestorm ignited by a Mainichi May 9 morning edition story outlining secret negotiations between the U.S. Energy Department and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
The embassy added that "The U.S. government fully respects that it is the sovereign decision of any government whether and under what terms they participate in nuclear energy activities, including nuclear fuel leasing." The statement concluded by reiterating that "No discussions or potential fuel leasing services involve U.S.-origin spent nuclear fuel."
Meanwhile, however, Japan's Senior Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Chiaki Takahashi told a May 9 press conference that "There have in fact been informal talks with both the United States and Mongolia on the issue."
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http://mainichi.jp/select/world/america/news/20110512k0000m030056000c.html
毎日新聞 2011年5月11日 19時37分（最終更新 5月12日 0時50分）
モンゴル核処分場計画：「交渉はしていない」米政府が見解
在日米国大使館は１０日、経済産業省が昨秋から米エネルギー省とモンゴルに核廃棄物貯蔵・処分施設の建設計画を進めていると９日付朝刊で報じた毎 日新聞に対し、「米政府はモンゴルに使用済み核燃料を輸送する交渉はしていない」とする米政府の見解を示した。毎日新聞が報じた、３カ国によるこれまでの 交渉経緯や貯蔵・処分施設計画そのものについては言及していない。
見解では「米政府は、どの政府に対しても、核燃料貸与を含む原子力エネルギー活動に参入するかどうかを決める主権を尊重する」と主張している。
一方、高橋千秋副外相は９日の記者会見で「米国、モンゴルとの間で非公式な意見交換を行った事実はある」と述べ、３国間の協議があったことを認めている。
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http://bcmongolia.org/news/1148-fresh-report-on-plan-for-nuclear-waste-storage-in-mongolia
Source: The Wall Street Journal, News.mn, Reuters Date: 11 May, 2011
FRESH REPORT ON PLAN FOR NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE IN MONGOLIA
The U.S. and Japan confirmed Monday that they have held discussions with Mongolia about nuclear waste management, but both denied that they have any plans to send their spent nuclear fuel there. The Chief of the Nuclear Energy Authority (NEA), Mr. D.Enkhbat, has, however, denied reports on any talks on the matter. “The NEA has not talked to anyone,” he asserted, adding, “Who wants to keep others’ waste, especially nuclear waste?”
On Monday Japan's Mainichi newspaper reported that the U.S., Japan and Mongolia were set to sign an agreement over the project in February, but put it off after objections from Japan's Foreign Ministry. The newspaper said it would be easier for the U.S. and Japan to sell their nuclear-reactor technology overseas if they could offer countries a place to put their nuclear waste.
A U.S. Department of Energy spokeswoman said, "The U.S. government is not negotiating a deal to send spent nuclear fuel to Mongolia." She added, "No discussions or potential fuel leasing services involve U.S.-origin spent nuclear fuel." Asked whether Japan was talking with Mongolia about nuclear-fuel storage, Japan's Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Chiaki Takahashi, said at a news conference Monday that the countries had held an "informal exchange of views" about the subject. He said the talks did not reach a conclusion and Japan does not intend to send its spent nuclear fuel to Mongolia.
The U.S. and Mongolia signed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear power in September 2010, when Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman visited Ulaanbaatar. A U.S. official said that accord included "waste management" but did not give details. A U.S. State Department official in charge of nuclear issues, Mr. Richard Stratford, said March 29 that the U.S. Department of Energy was talking to Mongolia about storing other countries' spent fuel, including possibly fuel that originated in the U.S.
In April, the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar said Mr. Stratford's comments "may have been misinterpreted" and it is "not correct" that the U.S. was talking to Mongolia "about the establishment of a storage facility to accept foreign spent nuclear fuel."
Read more.
The report in the Mainichi daily said Japanese, U.S. and Mongolian officials, at a meeting shortly before Japan's March 11 earthquake, informally discussed possible construction of a nuclear waste storage facility for countries with nuclear power plants but no spent fuel storage capability of their own. The facility would allow Japanese and U.S. nuclear plant exporters, which include joint ventures and units of General Electric, Hitachi and Toshiba, to better compete with Russian rivals that offer potential nuclear plant customers spent fuel disposal in a package.
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