Advanced plants to meet rising expectations for nuclear power

Nuclear power produces 15.2% of the world's electricity. Many countries are planning to either introduce nuclear energy or expand their nuclear generation capacity. Design organisations are incorporating both proven means and new approaches for reducing the capital costs of their advanced designs. In the near term, most new nuclear plants will be evolutionary design, often pursuing economies of scale. In the longer term, innovative designs could help to promote a new era of nuclear power. The objectives of this paper are to review the factors that will influence nuclear energy's future contribution, and to review global development activities for advanced nuclear plants and their applications.