Mitsubishi FBR Systems, Inc. (MFBR) is a company formed on July 1, 2007, by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to develop Fast breeder reactor technology. The establishment of the company was based on the April 2007 decision by the Japanese government to select Mitsubishi as the core company for FBR development. Expectations are for a demonstration reactor for launching by 2025 and a full commercial plant by 2050, and for FBRs to eventually supersede Light water reactor technology in Japan.[1]

The successor to Monju Nuclear Power Plant had been expected to be a larger demonstration plant to be completed around 2025, built Mitsubishi FBR.[2] However, in 2014 Japan agreed to cooperate in developing the emergency reactor cooling system, and in a few other areas, with the French ASTRID demonstration sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor, which was subsequently cancelled in August 2019.[3][4][5]

In 2016, the development of Japanese fast reactors halted as a result of the government decision to decommission the Monju Nuclear Power Plant following problems with the plant including sodium leakage.[6]

In January 2022, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi FBR Systems signed a Memorandum of Understanding with TerraPower to cooperate on the development of sodium-cooled fast reactors. Under the agreement TerraPower would acquire Japanese know-how and test facilities related to fast reactors.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ "MHI Establishes New Company for FBR Development". Japan Corporate News Network. 25 June 2007. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013.
  2. ^ "New fast breeder reactor for Japan". Nuclear Engineering International. 6 June 2006. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  3. ^ Tara Patel, Gregory Viscusi (5 May 2014). "Japan to Work With France on Future Fast-Breeder Atomic". Bloomberg. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  4. ^ "France wants Japan to share 570 billion yen ASTRID reactor development cost". The Mainichi. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  5. ^ Geert De Clercq (30 August 2019). "France drops plans to build sodium-cooled nuclear reactor". Reuters. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  6. ^ a b "US, Japanese firms agree to cooperate on fast reactors". World Nuclear News. 27 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.

External links

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Nuclear power in Japan
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