Hitachi, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and Toshiba have embarked on the development of mid- to small-size nuclear reactors. Among the three companies, MHI will participate in a development project led by the US government.
The output of the new reactors will be limited to 300-700MWe, less than half that of conventional reactors. They will cut costs by being positioned closer to electricity users.
The three companies estimate that demand for new reactors will increase around the year 2030 as the current generation of reactors comes up for renewal. The smaller version could be operated continuously for 15 years without changing fuel, but construction costs will be high.
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