Design options for new nuclear plants

Predicting the future is a risky business, but one of the predictions that seems to be common to most forward planning scenarios is a rising global demand for energy. As the developing world increasingly demands the quality of life that most of us take for granted, and as the developed world extends its appetite for electricity in virtually all aspects of business and leisure, the only question is how rapidly the demand will rise. The use of nuclear power is an important aspect in meeting this energy challenge. This article describes some of the nuclear power plant designs that are under development and that may be the reactors of choice in meeting utility needs for new nuclear plant in the short, medium or longer term. The reactors considered are the BNFL/Westinghouse AP600 and AP1000 PWR designs, and high temperature gas cooled reactor technology in the form of the pebble bed modular reactor, being developed in South Africa by an international group of companies including BNFL.