TOKYO, Aug 5 : Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has won Japanese government support for three projects to develop next-generation nuclear reactor technologies, including advanced light water reactors and small modular reactors (SMRs), it said on Wednesday.• The projects, selected under the industry ministry's supplementary budget programme, cover safety technologies and a standard design for advanced light water reactors, design and component technologies for SMRs and technologies to strengthen the supply chain for next-generation reactors.• Japan plans to revive its nuclear power capability to bolster energy security and decarbonisation.• The government's latest basic energy plan, approved in February 2025, calls for maximum use of nuclear power and promotes the development and deployment of next-generation reactors while strengthening supply chains and human resources.
• Japan has adopted new nuclear policy guidelines that call for replacing up to five reactors by the 2040s and as many as 14 by the 2050s to ensure a stable power supply.• The guidelines, which were approved last week, said that advanced light water reactors and SMRs had effectively reached the stage of practical deployment from a technical standpoint.• Mitsubishi Heavy said it is developing its SRZ-1200 advanced light water reactor with the aim of early commercial deployment in Japan. It is also leading government-backed development of test fast reactors and high-temperature gas reactors under Japan's green transformation programme.• The latest subsidies would also accelerate development of a domestically designed SMR tailored to Japan's seismic and tsunami conditions, Mitsubishi Heavy said.
