MiRESSO Co.,Ltd. (Headquarters: Misawa City, Aomori Prefecture; CEO: Masaru Nakamichi; hereinafter referred to as “MiRESSO”), committed to “unlocking the potential of mineral resources and delivering a brighter future to the next generation,” has entered into a basic design agreement with JGC Corporation (Headquarters: Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa; Representative Director, President : Yasuharu Yamaguchi) for the pilot plant “BETA” (Beryllium Testing plant in Aomori), aimed at demonstrating MiRESSO’s proprietary low-temperature refining technology for beryllium production. The company is targeting the launch of commercial-scale production in FY2027. MiRESSO is also backed by the JGC MIRAI Innovation Fund L.P., a CVC jointly managed by JGC Group and Global Brain Corporation.
1. Overview of BETA
MiRESSO was selected in October 2023 for Phase 3 of Japan’s SBIR program (Small Business Innovation Research), administered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), under the theme of “Fusion Technology Demonstration for DEMO and Related Applications.” With this support, the company is advancing demonstration activities for a novel low-temperature refining process for beryllium—a critical material for fusion energy.
As part of this SBIR initiative, MiRESSO has commissioned JGC Corporation, a leading plant engineering firm in Japan, to carry out the basic design of its pilot facility “BETA.” The plant will pilot the company’s innovative refining method, with the goal of starting beryllium production and product distribution by FY2027. Through this project, MiRESSO aims to ensure a stable and cost-effective supply of beryllium, contributing to the realization of commercial fusion energy systems. In preparation for BETA’s construction, MiRESSO has entered into a comprehensive partnership with Pacific Metals Co., Ltd., under which part of Pacific Metals’ facility in Hachinohe, Aomori (5-2 Toyamashinden, Kawaragi, Hachinohe-shi) will be leased to house the plant.
[BETA – Key Specifications]
Location: 5-2 Toyamashinden, Kawaragi, Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan
Facility Area: Approx. 300 m²
Target Production Launch: Within FY2027
※1: MiRESSO selected for MEXT SBIR Phase 3 Program (JPY 2 billion funding)
(https://miresso.co.jp/2023/10/16/miresso_selected_japansbir_oct2023/)
※2: MiRESSO enters comprehensive partnership with Pacific Metals Co., Ltd
(https://miresso.co.jp/2024/10/25/pamco_partnership_agreement/)
2. Project Background
Fusion reactors generate energy by fusing deuterium and tritium in a plasma state. However, as tritium is virtually nonexistent in nature, reactors must breed tritium internally using a device known as a blanket module, which surrounds the plasma. In these modules, beryllium plays a vital role as a neutron multiplier, facilitating tritium breeding by multiplying neutrons from fusion reactions. Large quantities of beryllium are therefore essential to reactor operations.
However, securing beryllium presents significant challenges. Its market price remains extremely high, and the quantity required for a single demonstration-scale fusion reactor exceeds the entire current global annual supply. This severe shortfall makes the development of a low-cost, stable supply chain one of the most urgent tasks for the fusion industry.
3. MiRESSO’s Low-Temperature Refining Technology
MiRESSO’s CEO Masaru Nakamichi and his team—drawing from experience at QST (National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology)—have developed a groundbreaking low-temperature refining process that dramatically reduces the cost of beryllium extraction. The method, which combines chemical processing with microwave heating (patent pending), eliminates the need for the conventional 2,000°C heat treatment previously required to dissolve refractory beryllium ores.
Instead, MiRESSO’s method enables complete dissolution of beryl ore at just 300°C under atmospheric pressure, dramatically lowering energy consumption and production costs. The company aims to scale this technology through BETA, transitioning it from laboratory validation to pilot-scale demonstration.
Fully dissolved solution after low-temperature refining
4. Future Outlook
Based on the results of the BETA pilot project, MiRESSO plans to construct a full-scale production plant with an annual capacity of 100 metric tons of beryllium in the early 2030s, in tandem with the expected commercialization phase of DEMO and other fusion power plants.
5. About JGC Corporation
JGC Corporation is the domestic operating company of the JGC Group, a global engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) organization. Leveraging its extensive experience in delivering projects worldwide, JGC provides EPC services in Japan with a focus on addressing three core challenges outlined in its long-term “2040 Vision”:
- Ensuring a stable energy supply while advancing decarbonization
- Reducing environmental impact from resource utilization
- Building and maintaining essential infrastructure and services