Development trends for future French pressurized water reactors

The pressurized water reactor (PWR) is today's nuclear workhorse, exhibiting reliability, dependability, and economic competitiveness. Such achievements are no reason to stop improving this technology, as the users' requirements are likely to increase in sophistication. Utilities will want greater load following capability, increased flexibility, and the ability to adapt to various fuel cycles in order to optimize per kilowatt hour costs and resource utilization. Many innovations are presently under scrutiny or under development to answer new of future requirements, i.e., burnup increases, spectral shift, and undermoderated cores. Ultimately, the future improved PWR will incorporate a number of these innovations on an ''a-la-carte'' basis