In October 2020, JAEA revised its comprehensive cooperation arrangement with the UK National Nuclear Laboratory (UKNNL) to launch joint technical development on HTGRs. The following month, JAEA concluded an arrangement with ONR to exchange information on reactor safety, thereby establishing a framework that integrates both technology development and regulatory perspectives.
The UK government has selected HTGRs as its preferred advanced reactor type for non-electric applications in pursuit of carbon neutrality, with the aim of starting operation of a demonstration reactor in the early 2030s. Since then, JAEA and UKNNL have collaborated on R&D toward HTGR deployment in both countries, supply chain development, and human resource training.
With the latest agreement, cooperation among JAEA, UKNNL, and ONR will be further strengthened, accelerating progress toward the introduction of HTGRs in the UK.
At the same time, the establishment of a fuel supply chain remains a key challenge for the early deployment of HTGRs in the UK. While collaboration with private-sector companies in the UK is being explored as a promising option, sufficient communication with the regulatory authority will be essential to realize fuel fabrication in the UK based on Japanese technology.
JAEA regards the extension of this arrangement as an opportunity to deepen collaboration, which will not only advance social implementation in the UK but also feed into Japan’s own demonstration reactor plans.
