World Energy Outlook 2006

Figure 13.6: Share of Nuclear Power in Total Electricity Generation in the
Alternative Policy Scenario
Middle East and Africa
Latin America
Rest of developing Asia
China
India
Transition economies
OECD North America
OECD Europe
OECD Pacific
0% 15% 30% 45%
2005 2015 2030
Box 13.1: Recent Trends and Outlook for Nuclear Reactor Technology
The evolution in reactor technology can be characterised by generations,
the next generation to be installed being Gen-III. The latest generation of
reactors was developed in the 1990s, after the Chernobyl accident. It
includes “passive safety” features, as well as improved economic and
environmental characteristics, and is still evolving (Nuttall, 2004). The
reactors expected to be built over the next 25 years will most likely be
based on Gen-III designs or improved versions of current designs. 6
Several water-cooled Gen-III thermal reactors with evolutionary designs
are already being marketed. The French company Areva is marketing the
1 600-MW European Pressurised Reactor (EPR). The target availability
is 91% over a 60-year lifetime. Westinghouse has developed the AP600
reactor and a larger version, the AP1000, which is currently under
consideration for use in China and the United States. General Electric
has developed the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR), which
comes in different sizes, typically between 1 200 and 1 500 MW, and
the 1 550 MW Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR).
Three ABWR units have already been built in Japan. Canada’s AECL
has developed the Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR), in two sizes:
700 MW and 1 000 MW. Russia plans to develop a new generation of
6. A new generation of reactors (Gen-IV) is currently under development and is expected to be
deployed after 2030.
Chapter 13 - Prospects for Nuclear Power 363
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© OECD/IEA, 2007