Advanced reactor development rebounding

Manufacturers are developing another generation of reactors, partly for emerging markets, partly to replace existing capacity. The reactors are easier to manufacture and operate, are safer, and have one-step certification. The EPRI-Energy initiative resulted in the successful design of three next-generation plants in the United States. General Electric Co., based in Fairfield, Conn., and ABB Combustion Engineering, Windsor, Conn., produced two "evolutionary" designs that built incrementally on existing reactors: CE's Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) and ABB's System 80+ Standard Plant Design, a pressurized-water reactor (PWR). Westinghouse Electric Corp., headquartered in Pittsburgh, taking a rather more innovative and daring approach, developed a smaller advanced reactor called the AP-600. A 600-MW pressurized-water reactor, it incorporated passive safety features wherever possible. These three reactors are described.