Nuclear Reactor With Increased Safety Designed In Japan Based On Fukushima Lessons

Nuclear Reactor With Increased Safety Designed in Japan Based on Fukushima Lessons

Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said on Thursday that it developed a concept of the advanced light water nuclear reactor SRZ-1200 with increased safety based on the lessons of the nuclear disaster on the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 29th September, 2022) Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said on Thursday that it developed a concept of the advanced light water nuclear reactor SRZ-1200 with increased safety based on the lessons of the nuclear disaster on the Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011.

"The SRZ-1200 is a 1,200MWe (megawatt electrical) class advanced light water reactor designed based on enhanced Japanese regulatory safety standards which incorporates lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi accident," the company noted.

The new reactor has additional safety functions in comparison with conventional reactors, strengthening its resilience against natural disasters and reducing risk of nuclear emissions, according to Mitsubishi.

Mitsubishi also plans to implement this project and bring the SRZ-1200 to market as soon as possible to ensure safe operations of Japanese nuclear power plants and "realize a carbon-neutral society for Japan."

The nuclear disaster at Fukushima occurred on March 11, 2011, when the plant was heavily damaged in a magnitude 9 earthquake in the Pacific Ocean. It triggered a massive tsunami that hit the plant and caused three nuclear reactors to melt down. The accident is regarded as the worst nuclear disaster since the 1986 Chernobyl accident, resulting in large-scale contamination of local soil and water.