Role of advanced nuclear reactor technologies in meeting the growing energy demands

Considering the world's growing energy demand, the nuclear energy is an option to meet this demand in a sustainable and reliable manner. The share of nuclear in the global energy mix is continuously rising. This increase in share of nuclear is due to the factors such as population growth, energy supply security, increased electricity demand, climate mitigation and price volatility of fuels used for other sources of energy. In order to meet this growing demand, large scale deployment of advanced nuclear reactors is envisaged. This paper describes the advanced nuclear reactor technologies available for immediate, near, and long term deployment. It also describes their innovative features that make them safer, simpler and economically competitive with other technologies. At the end, the author discusses their potential role within the context of Pakistan.