BY FILIPPO PEDRETTI
Japan’s nuclear industry sees small modular reactors as a potential new growth market. For now, however, that market lies almost entirely overseas.
A growing number of Japanese manufacturers, engineering companies and specialist suppliers are positioning themselves for a future SMR supply chain. Their opportunity is partly driven by large technology and semiconductor companies seeking reliable, low-carbon power for data centers and manufacturing sites. SMRs are presented as a possible source of captive or behind-the-meter generation for such facilities.
Japanese firms are participating in projects and partnerships in the U.S. and elsewhere. But inside Japan, there are no comparable commercial projects, no clearly identified deployment sites and no regulatory framework designed specifically for SMRs.
The contrast reflects a broader paradox in Japan’s nuclear sector. The country retains world-class engineering and manufacturing capabilities, yet has not completed a new reactor since 2009, before the March 2011 Fukushima disaster. Leading utilities remain focused on restarting existing plants and, over the longer term, replacing them with advanced versions of conventional light-water reactors.
For Japan’s nuclear engineers, SMRs may offer a new source of overseas business well before they become a realistic part of the country’s own energy system.