Development of nuclear power plants: Past, present, and future
- International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (IAEA)
This paper discusses the past, present, and future roles of nuclear power and summarizes the evolution of nuclear power plants, advanced reactor development, and the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Although nuclear energy is an essentially unlimited resource, the rate of introduction of nuclear plants remains below even the more pessimistic earlier forecasts. Nevertheless, nuclear energy accounts for 17% of the world's total electricity generation. With increasing focus on environmentally acceptable economic development and close examination of appropriate applications of science and technology, it is reasonable to expect a reduced rate of increase and ultimately a leveling of electricity demand. The IAEA estimates an increase by the year 2010 from the current nuclear generating capacity of 327 GW(electric) to a capacity of 456 GW(electric) (low estimate) to 577 GW(electric) (high estimate). From an environmental standpoint, the recent Helsinki Symposium on Electricity and the Environment concluded that a key element in the strategy to cope with the increasing risk of global warming due to CO[sub 2] emissions from fossil plants is the deployment of advanced nuclear power plants.
- OSTI ID:
- 6979901
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-921102-; CODEN: TANSAO
- Journal Information:
- Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Vol. 66; Conference: Joint American Nuclear Society (ANS)/European Nuclear Society (ENS) international meeting on fifty years of controlled nuclear chain reaction: past, present, and future, Chicago, IL (United States), 15-20 Nov 1992; ISSN 0003-018X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
POLICY AND ECONOMY
NUCLEAR POWER
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
ECONOMICS
IAEA
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
POWER DEMAND
PUBLIC RELATIONS
REACTOR SAFETY
COOPERATION
DEMAND
INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
POWER
SAFETY
290600* - Energy Planning & Policy- Nuclear Energy
290202 - Energy Planning & Policy- Sociology- (1992-)