An Example of an INPRO Assessment of an INS in the Area of Economics

Following a resolution of the General Conference of the IAEA in the year 2000 an International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles, referred to as INPRO, was initiated. INPRO has defined requirements organized in a hierarchy of Basic Principles, User Requirements and Criteria (consisting of an indicator and an acceptance limit) to be met by innovative nuclear reactor systems (INS) in six areas, namely: economics, safety, waste management, environment, proliferation resistance, and infrastructure. If an INS meets all requirements in all areas it represents a sustainable system for the supply of energy, capable of making a significant contribution to meeting the energy needs of the 21. century. Draft manuals have been developed, for each INPRO area, to provide guidance for performing an assessment of whether an INS meets the INPRO requirements in a given area. This paper discusses the example presented in the manual for performing an INPRO assessment in the area of economics. The example considers a private utility, operating in a liberalized market that is planning for an additional supply of power of about 600 MWe within a time frame of 10 years. Two nuclear options, an LWR and a HWR, are considered as well as a gas-fired plant using liquefied gas as fuel. (authors)