Japan wants to restart seven more nuclear reactors from next summer onward, Japan PM Kishida said at a government meeting on “green transformation.” That would bring the number of reactors brought back online after the 2011 Fukushima catastrophe to 17 out of a total 33 operable units.
Japan new expansion of nuclear power comes after a summer impacted by extreme weather and a global fuel shortage on electricity supply. Tokyo has seen two major power crunches this year, including during the worst heat wave for the end of June in more than a century.
They are also looking at extending the lifespan of existing reactors beyond the current maximum of 60 years.
Separately China’s Commercial Small Modular ACP100 Reactor
Japan will probably avoid using China and Russia’s nuclear technology. About 80-85% of the new nuclear reactors are being built by China and Russia or are using China and Russia nuclear designs.
China is building a small modular nuclear reactor using conventional pressure water technology. A smaller 125 MWe reactor means the cost will be about eight times less than a gigawatt reactor.
Once completed, the Changjiang ACP100 reactor will be capable of producing 1 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to meet the needs of 526,000 households. The reactor is designed for electricity production, heating, steam production or seawater desalination.
In August, The final tank of concrete has been poured into the underground retaining walls of the conventional island at the ACP100 small modular reactor (SMR) demonstration project at the Changjiang nuclear power plant on China’s island province of Hainan.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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