Development or Deployment of 'Grid-Appropriate' Reactors for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership

The world energy demand is expected to nearly double by 2030, largely driven by rapidly increasing demand in the developing parts of the world. Many of the countries that will experience the greatest growth in energy demand have little or no current nuclear power experience and have significant constraints on the size and type of power plant that can be accommodated. Although a few reactor vendors are beginning to address this market need, most traditional vendors continue to offer only very large nuclear power plants with capacities exceeding 1500 MWe per unit. The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), which was initiated in the United States and now includes a partnership of 20 countries, seeks to facilitate the large-scale global growth in nuclear power. Within the GNEP program, the 'grid-appropriate' reactors (GAR) campaign has been initiated to coordinate and facilitate the development, demonstration, and deployment of reactor designs that are better suited for those countries that need or prefer smaller power plant capacities. The GNEP/GAR program addresses the full spectrum of issues for the deployment of new reactor designs to new nuclear power countries, including: reactor technology and engineering, licensing and regulatory impacts, and infrastructure needs (physical, workforce, and institutional). Initially, the program is focused on meeting the current global demand for small or medium-sized reactors using demonstrated technologies. The program will also address the development of new reactor technologies that will further enhance the safety, security, and proliferation resistance of future designs. International collaborations are being established to: (1) develop suitable requirements and criteria for GAR designs, (2) conduct R and D for longer-term reactor technologies and innovative designs, and (3) assisting new nuclear power countries in assessing their infrastructure needs. The status of these activities will be presented and future program directions will be discussed. (author)