Operating experience of nuclear power plants

In the field of nuclear power generation, France and Japan have several points in common, and it is interesting to compare the operating experience in France with that in Japan. First, the common basic characteristics of both countries are reviewed to show the importance of nuclear energy within their respective energy policies. Several performance indicators are examined, and forecast is made. The gross national product per inhabitant is $10,000/inhabitant similarly for France and Japan. The average consumption of electricity is 5,000 kWh/inhabitant. The fundamental objectives of the energy policies of both countries are to diversify the forms of primary imported energy, to develop a dynamic energy saving policy, and to use ''national'' energy resources. As of February, 1985, the net installed nuclear power in Japan was 20,000 MW with 14 BWR and 13 PWR plants. That in France was 33,000 MW with 34 PWR plants and others. For the meaningful comparison, five indicators were used, that is, capacity factor, availability factor, the duration of scheduled shutdown, the frequency of scram, and average overall exposure of personnel. (Kako, I.)