Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd, the Japanese engineering company, and a subsidiary of the Japanese electronics giant Hitachi Ltd have reportedly planned to develop next-gen nuclear reactors independently in what may be the first two initiatives in the administration's recent shift in policy to promote nuclear energy.

The firm announced on Thursday that the innovative light-water reactor, a novel form of PWR or pressurized water reactor, which is considered safer than existing types, will be developed by Mitsubishi Heavy in collaboration with four main Japanese utilities, which can be used by the mid-2030s.

At their nuclear power stations, the four utility companies, namely, Hokkaido Electric Power Co., Kansai Electric Power Co., Kyushu Electric Power Co., and Shikoku Electric Power Co. all use Mitsubishi Heavy reactors.

According to Mitsubishi, the new SRZ-1200 nuclear reactor is built to be more resistant to both terrorist attacks as well as natural calamities like tsunamis and earthquakes.

The 1.2 million kW facility will also upgrade equipment to retain melted nuclear fuel inside a containment vessel and stop or reduce radiation emissions in the case of an accident.

Meanwhile, Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy Ltd, a subsidiary of Hitachi, will also build an advanced nuclear reactor using light-water reactor technology for use during the mid-2030s. While Hitachi holds an 80.01% stake in the subsidiary, the rest is owned by General Electric Co.

These plans coincide with the Japanese government's announcement in August that it would encourage the development of next-generation nuclear power stations to produce energy without carbon dioxide emissions, which is a significant reversal from its previous policy which discouraged nuclear energy.

Considering the technological similarities to PWRs, Japan intends to prioritize advanced light-water reactors over other types of next-generation nuclear reactors.

Significant safety concerns regarding nuclear power generation in Japan remain tight following the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear crisis which was triggered by a powerful tsunami and earthquake, the biggest nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986.

Source credit: https://japantoday.com/category/business/Mitsubishi-Heavy-Hitachi-to-develop-new-nuclear-reactors-for-2030s-use