Tokyo – Sogin, the state-owned company responsible for decommissioning nuclear facilities and managing radioactive waste, and JAPC (Japan Atomic Power Company) have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a joint study on methods for dismantling graphite-moderated nuclear reactors. The memorandum stems from the Japanese company’s intention to integrate its experience at the Tokai-1 reactor with Sogin’s expertise, which since its establishment has addressed the decommissioning of the graphite-moderated reactor at the Latina nuclear power plant. The latter is internationally recognized as a benchmark project for dismantling this specific type of facility. The collaboration follows an agreement signed by Sogin on January 27 with GraphiCore, an Italian company specializing in the handling of irradiated graphite, aimed at developing and testing equipment for extracting irradiated graphite from reactors, as well as participating jointly in research programs on graphite reactor decommissioning. (9colonne)