<strong>atw</strong> Vol. 63 (<strong>2018</strong>) | Issue 11/<strong>12</strong> ı November/December <strong>2018</strong>: A “Quincuplex” for Nuclear Power Dear reader, “Do good and talk about it.” Anyone who today follows protagonists of technical progress and technical innovations – sometimes only supposedly, often for technology on four wheels or with rocket propulsion for space – sees more than ever how important active “marketing” or “advertising” with a good portion of self-confidence and convincing appearance are for business success. A look at five such groundbreaking events of <strong>2018</strong> in the nuclear energy sector should also convey such a sense of optimism for our industry. But which five events? Test for yourself and do some search in the news of the WWW ... and, will you find what you are looking for? At least for the German-speaking area it will be narrow here, the English language already supplies more hits and who is knowledgeable of the Chinese, finds the answers. So let’s turn to Asia, certainly the most dynamically developing region in the world today. On 6 June <strong>2018</strong> the time had come. Taishan 1 was the first EPR reactor in the world to achieve first criticality. After VVER-<strong>12</strong>00 Novovoronezh II-1, with commissioning in 2016, it is the second reactor type of Generation III+ that went into operation. The EPR originates from the earlier cooperation between Siemens/KWU and Framamtome in the 1990s. It brings together the development, construction and operating experience of the pressurized water reactors of the French N4 series and the three German KWU convoy plants. In addition to further economic optimisation, e.g. through an extended fuel cycle and an operating life of at least 60 years, additional safety features are added, such as a core catcher for controlling design-basis accidents and other safety redundancies. The first two “First of a Kind” EPR projects, Olkiluoto 3 in Finland and Flamanville 3, have been under construction since 2005 and 2007, respectively. The projects have been delayed several times for a different reasons, including complex requirements for operational facilities and safety defined in the approval procedure. Construction of the Chinese Taishan plant with two blocks under the designation CEPR (Chinese EPR) began in 2009. While retaining the basic design and layout features, specific Chinese customer requirements have been implemented, resulting in an increased plant output of 1,750 MW gross. Taishan 2 is also expected to go into operation in the foreseeable future. Other EPR projects currently include Hinkley Point C-1 and C-2 in the UK – where the subsoil is being prepared – and six blocks in India. A few days later, on 21 June <strong>2018</strong>, the first AP1000 reactor, a further third generation III+ plant, became critical for the first time in Sanmen, China. Construction of the two AP1000 units erected at the Sanmen site began in 2009. The concept developed by Westinghouse Electric for a nuclear power plant with a gross output of around 1,100 MW integrates revolutionary elements in several respects. Thus, the AP1000 represents a new concept not only in terms of building design. The modular design and a passive safety concept for core and containment emergency cooling are striking features of the pressurized water reactor. The AP1000 projects started in China in 2009/2010 then continued at a rapid pace: on August 8, <strong>2018</strong>, the Haiyang 1 unit reached first criticality, followed by the Sanmen 2 and Haiyang 2 units on August 17 and September 29, <strong>2018</strong>, respectively. Two further AP1000 units have been under construction at the Vogtle site in the USA since 2013, and the two projects at the Summer site were discontinued in 2017 due to the manufacturer’s Chapter 11 insolvency proceedings. With these five nuclear power plants commissioned in <strong>2018</strong> and the Russian VVER-<strong>12</strong>00 projects – one plant commissioned since 2016, Leningrad II-1 commissioned on 6 February <strong>2018</strong> and active construction projects in Belarus, Turkey and Bangladesh as well as planning for Finland, Hungary, Egypt and India - and these five nuclear power plants commissioned in <strong>2018</strong>, Generation III+ nuclear power plants are no longer a vision, they are reality in a real world that needs a secure energy supply day and night. The projects in Asia, but also those of the Russian company Rosatom, prove that nuclear power plants of this development stage can also be built within the planned budget and thus above all with a view to the “levelised cost of electricity”. Consistent planning in agreement with all parties involved and a reliable regulatory environment are prerequisites for this. These are promising signs for the future use of nuclear energy worldwide, which, with a view to aspects such as security of supply, affordable generation costs and low-emission technology, is once again being increasingly brought to the fore by governments and organizations – including NGOs and environmental protection associations – as an option for the future energy mix. Signs, the law These are promising signs for the future use of nuclear energy worldwide, which, with a view to aspects such as security of supply, affordable generation costs and low-emission technology, is once again being increasingly brought to the fore by governments and organisations – including NGOs and environmental protection associations – as an option for the future energy mix. These are signs that have been set and that now need to be communicated and fairly communicated - even if, beyond reality, protagonists against nuclear energy are still trying to hide them. The same goes for the fact that half a dozen nuclear energy news items for <strong>2018</strong> will be filled to overflowing, with 454 reactors in operation worldwide, more than ever before in the history of the peaceful use of nuclear power! Christopher Weßelmann – Editor in Chief – 563 EDITORIAL Editorial <strong>2018</strong>: A “Quincuplex” for Nuclear Power