Bloomberg.com: From a windswept corner of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, Japan Steel Works Ltd. manufactures the central part of a nuclear reactor's containment vessel in a single piece, reducing the risk of a radiation leak. It is the only plant of its type in the world, and it can only produce four steel forgings a year.

Utilities that won't need the equipment for years are making $100 million down payments now in order to get in line. Even after Japan Steel doubles capacity in the next two years, there won't be enough production to meet building plans.

"If there are 50 to 100 reactors or more to be built, there will be a real shortage and real delays in deliveries," says Ron Pitts, senior vice president for nuclear operations at the construction and engineering company Fluor Corp. in Irving, Texas.

The news comes as Russia announced plans to build four more nuclear power plants over the next twelve years at Tver, Nizhny Novgorod, Chelyabinsk and Yaroslavl or Kostroma regions.