Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Kyoto Fusioneering, a fusion energy startup, has procured the funds to develop the first nuclear fusion reactor in Japan. The venture has thus far raised ¥1.7 billion (US$14.7 million), which CEO Taka Nagao has said will be used to begin designing the plant.
About ¥800 million (US$7 million) in loans from banks such as MUFG, Bank of Kyoto, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation are also expected to be provided.
Nagao recently told Kyodo News that this kind of project “is rare even on a global basis.”
Nuclear fusion offers the prospect of generating energy that releases no greenhouse gas emissions or nuclear waste, and it is considered much safer than conventional nuclear energy.
This particular reactor will be built with a turbine, a heat exchanger, and a reactor that can generate dozens of kilowatts.
Kyoto Fusioneering was established in October 2019 as a spin-off from Kyoto University, based on technologies developed at the university for over forty years.