Mitsubishi Heavy moving closer to building new reactor in Japan - The Japan Times
Mitsubishi Heavy moving closer to building new reactor in Japan - The Japan Times
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has almost finished designing its next-generation nuclear reactor, paving the way for construction to begin as Japan shifts its energy focus to develop more atomic power.
The Tokyo-based company can start building the facility once a site for it in Japan is established and some late-stage tests are completed, according to President Seiji Izumisawa. It will take about 10 years to construct and start operations.
"Once a site is decided, things will move forward,” he said in an interview on Friday. The hope is that a selection will be made "not too far in the future” so that knowledge and experience surrounding reactor construction can be passed to the next generation of engineers, he said.
Related Knowledge Center: ENERGY BASICS: nuclear
Nuclear energy provides almost 20 percent of the U.S. electricity supply. Advocates have called for an expanded role for nuclear as an emissions-free fuel source. But the economics of building new reactors are daunting. In addition, lingering safety concerns are an institutionalized part of the calculation of nuclear regulation, and highly radioactive nuclear waste remains a can that public officials have been inclined to kick down the road. The Energy Information Administration projects a sharp decline in nuclear power generation over the next decade, as new nuclear plants — two are planned — are more than offset by anticipated retirements of several operating reactors.