TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2023) The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry intends to make the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) engineering giant the main company overseeing the development and design of next-generation nuclear power plants (NPPs), Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported on Wednesday.
The initiative will help accelerate the development of high-safety NPPs and contribute to the goal of ensuring stable electricity supplies and decarbonizing the energy sector, the report said.
MHI, the project's prime contractor, will have to coordinate the work of general contractors in the development of high-temperature helium-cooled reactors and fast neutron reactors. It will also be responsible for process control, liaison with the state regulator and interaction with local authorities. The company will be given the role of a command center for the development of new-generation reactors, which will also be able to pool the capabilities of power companies and research institutes.
The use of high-temperature reactors, which use helium gas as a coolant, can prevent a hydrogen explosion in the event of an accident, as happened at the Fukushima Daiichi reactors in 2011. In addition, their high temperatures can be used to produce hydrogen. A test reactor of this type is expected to become operational in the 2030s, the newspaper said.
A fast neutron reactor will make it possible to reduce the amount of radioactive waste by using nuclear fuel more efficiently. The test reactor is scheduled to begin operation in the 2040s.
The Japanese government has allocated a budget of 9 billion Yen ($62 million) for the development of two types of next-generation reactors over three years starting in 2023.
