After the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsumami, the Japanese government changed its energy policy and planned to develop safer nuclear reactors. To this end, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announced that it will jointly develop a new nuclear reactor (SRZ-1200) called an "advanced light water reactor" with four Japanese power companies. It is currently expected to be completed and constructed in mid-2030.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries pointed out that it will jointly develop a new type of reactor that is safer and more economical with Kansai Electric Power, Hokkaido Electric Power, Shikoku Electric Power, and Kyushu Electric Power to achieve a more stable energy supply.
According to Nikkei Asia, the new reactor will be based on Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' existing pressurized water reactor (PWR). The new reactor will have higher safety and is planning to use a basement structure and improve the robustness of the outer wall of the reactor containment, reducing the probability of damage to less than 1/100 of existing nuclear reactors, achieving higher reliability and safety, so as to cope with natural disasters such as earthquakes or terrorist attacks such as large plane crashes.
The report also pointed out that in the unfortunate event of a furnace core meltdown, the new nuclear reactor is also equipped with a "Core Catcher", which can store the molten nuclear fuel and seal the radioactive material in the nuclear reactor building to avoid external leakage.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries emphasized that the new nuclear reactor has drawn on global experience and has higher safety and reliability. At the same time, the new reactor has also improved operational flexibility and can more effectively improve power transmission and variable power sources such as renewable energy. It will not only achieve a more stable energy response for Japan, but also help Japan achieve its carbon neutrality goal at an early date.
（Image：Mitsubishi Heavy Industries）