en.Wedoany.com Reported - Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London on June 15 and signed an agreement to jointly develop Advanced Modular Reactors (AMR) and supporting fuels, aiming to strengthen energy cooperation.
Under the agreement, British engineering company Rolls-Royce will collaborate with the UK's National Nuclear Laboratory and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency to develop advanced modular reactors with operating temperatures exceeding 700 degrees Celsius and power generation capacities ranging from 15 to 35 megawatts. The Japan Atomic Energy Agency will share safety data accumulated in the field of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors with Rolls-Royce, assisting the company in building a demonstration reactor in the UK by the mid-2030s. It is understood that Rolls-Royce has held consultations with the UK government on potential support options, which may include taxpayer-guaranteed loans, debt financing, or direct investment from the National Wealth Fund.
The fuel used in this reactor is Tristructural-Isotropic (TRISO) particle fuel, made from uranium particles the size of poppy seeds coated with multiple layers of ceramic materials. It is considered safer than traditional nuclear fuel and can self-cool. The UK government has announced an investment of £300 million to build enrichment facilities in partnership with uranium enrichment company Urenco, but currently, there are no facilities in Europe capable of processing TRISO particles into finished fuel containers.
Chris Cholerton, President of Rolls-Royce Group, called the agreement "a milestone moment," stating it will bring industrial growth, high-skilled jobs, and energy security to both countries. Masanori Koguchi, President of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, expressed hope that this will promote the early deployment of high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology, moving toward net-zero emissions.
Japan once had 54 reactors supplying approximately 30% of its domestic electricity. After the Fukushima accident, only 15 of the 33 operable reactors are currently in service, leading Japan to rely heavily on oil and liquefied natural gas imports from the Middle East and the United States. The UK is also pushing for a nuclear renaissance, as a batch of aging reactors is scheduled to be decommissioned between the late 2020s and early 2030s.
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