The present status of nuclear power and prospects for fast reactors - the IAEA outlook

Nuclear power continues to provide a significant amount of the world's electricity supply. Based on the experience gained from about 6000 reactor years of operation, improvements are continuing to be made in the design of nuclear power plants of all types including liquid metal cooled fast reactors. Five demonstration, prototypical or semi-commercial nuclear plants with liquid metal-cooled reactors (LMR) are in operation in the world. Although the commercial deployment of fast reactors has not been seen as urgent due to the availability of adequate low-cost uranium resources there is an awareness in many countries that breeder reactors will be needed in the early decades of the next century. Adequate energy supply for all countries of the world is vital. The exploitation of all non-polluting forms of energy, of which nuclear energy is the most abundant, must be planned now to meet the growing worldwide energy demand. (author)