No abstract available

[en] The nuclear power part in the Japanese electric power has not stopped to increase these last years. It has allowed to diversify the Japanese energy sources, to reduce the fuels cost, to abate the gaseous emissions which can cause damages to the environment. Meanwhile, with the decrease of fossil fuels prices in the world in the years 1980, it may be asked whether the nuclear power is always economically competitive. Indeed, in order that nuclear power maintain its competitive edge, while maintaining its safety and reliability the short term Japanese economic policy will be to take into account of a greater plant availability, a minimization of the operation, maintenance and fuel cost, a save of capital investment. Long term program is impossible without regulatory reform, re-engineering of Utility's business process in nuclear power engineering and management and new technology development. Meanwhile, the energy industry leaders have to take care to the long term energetic perspective and to the possible fluctuation of the fossil fuel prices, to the environmental problems due to the CO₂, NO₂, SO_x emissions and to the energetic supply safety particularly in countries which have not a lot of resources. (O.M.)

[en] The Advanced Boiling Water Reactor will be the next generation BWR in Japan. This paper discusses the enhanced features of the ABWR and compares the ABWR ECCS network to previous BWR designs. The limiting LOCA case for the ABWR which was analyzed with the recently approved SAFER LOCA evaluation model, is described in detail. The results show that no fuel uncovery should occur for any possible break and assumed single failure. These results are also compared to the limiting LOCA analysis for previous BWR designs. To help qualify the SAFER model, the SAFER results are compared to corresponding TRAC results for a special case. This comparison demonstrates that the simpler SAFER model adequately predicts the major phenomena which occur during the accident. Therefore, it is concluded that SAFER can be used to perform ABWR LOCA analyses for both design basis events and nonstandard sensitivity studies

[en] The paper describes the events that led to the inception of the Japanese Joint Study research programs for light water reactors and outlines the focus and achievements in reliability and technical development. Safety-related research in the fields of loss of coolant accidents (LOCA), iodine behavior, containment integrity, siting evaluation, and transients and stability are discussed with emphasis on LOCA and ECCS research

[en] Tokyo Electric Power Company, jointly NSLS vendors (General Electric, Hitachi and Toshiba) and Japanese BWR utilities have initiated a program for next generation BWR design to meet future requirements. Joint study among these members was initiated in 1991, and extensive studies for next generation core and fuel design have been performed. This paper describes design considerations for core and fuel design in next generation BWR

[en] In most of the OECD countries, new nuclear capacity addition has been limited for the last one or two decades due mostly to the overcapacity or consideration of financial risk of capital-intensive nuclear investment. Japanese utilities have a dozen of new nuclear plants in a various stages of planning, licensing and construction. This is due to time-delayed demand and supply situation, a concerted effort to comply with the environmental agenda, and diversification incentives by regional Utilities and others. Beyond this stage, as Utility business deregulation progresses, new nuclear plant orders would depend on fundamental conditions such as the growth in electricity demand, competitiveness of nuclear power generating costs, and confidence in the Utility management of no stranded costs. Supporting institutional mechanisms such as environmental externality and the effort to cultivate confidence in the public for waste management and safety also help. This paper further discusses associated strategies to satisfy the fundamental conditions. This will range from strategies for replacement, technology development, and institutional arrangement to changes in Utility/Industry's structure and business practices. (author)

[en] The IAEA's project INPRO was initiated in order to provide a forum for discussion of experts and policy makers on all aspects of nuclear energy planning as well as on the development and deployment of innovative nuclear energy systems (INS). It brings together technology holders users and potential users to consider jointly the international and national actions required for achieving desired innovations in nuclear reactors and fuel cycles, but it pays particular attention to the needs of developing countries. Currently INPRO members count 24 including even three countries, which are not yet operating nuclear reactors. Its initial phase has produced an outlook into the future of the energy markets and defined basic principles, user requirements and criteria in the following areas as TECDOC1362 in June 2003; Economics, Environment, Fuel Cycle and Waste, Safety, Proliferation Resistance and Crosscutting Issues. This assessment methodology can be applied for screening an INS, comparing different INS to find a preferred INS consistent with the needs of a given state, and identifying RD and D needs. The methodology has be validated through case studies and updated as TECDOC1434 in December 2004. Currently, besides producing a manual for each chapter of TECDOC1434, six assessment studies of various INS options are being carried out and the number of such studies is increasing. Further several tasks are ongoing including modeling and analysis of global and regional balance of resources and INS deployment scenarios in order to gain the better perspective of future implication of INS deployment as well as to identify challenges and opportunities of INS. It is envisioned that INPRO will continue to develop with three planned major pillars of activity; methodology, infrastructure and coordination for planning of R and D activities. The paper discusses the progress and status of INPRO as well as the future prospect of INPRO activities

[en] The IAEA's project INPRO (international project on innovative nuclear reactors and fuel cycles) was established in 2001 by bringing together technology holders, users and potential users to consider jointly the international and national actions required for achieving desired innovations in nuclear reactors and fuel cycles. After completing development of evaluation methodology of innovative nuclear system in the area of Economics, Environment, Fuel Cycle and Waste, Safety, Proliferation Resistance and Infrastructure, the project moved to phase II that has four areas: Methodology development and its use by members, Future nuclear energy vision and scenario, Innovative technologies, and Innovation in institutional arrangement. Ten Collaborative Projects have started to address technical issues. The complementary relationship between INPRO and GIF (Generation 4 International Forum) has been defined by both groups and joint action plan was defined in April 2008. Further areas of cooperation to create synergetic effect by utilizing unique added value of INPRO is considered and proposed in this paper. (author)

[en] The Paris Conference ^Nuclear energy for the 21st Century^, which was held in March 2005 organized by the IAEA, is a strong indication of the interest in the role of nuclear power. At this conference, rising expectations were indicated as representatives from many countries expressed recognition of the potential of nuclear energy to meet their energy needs in a sustainable manner. A similar indication was recognized by the June 2004 Conference held by the IAEA in Obninsk, Russia, to celebrate 50 years of nuclear electricity production. Many developing countries that currently do not operate a nuclear power plant are expressing their view that nuclear power is an important option in their energy planning in order to alleviate energy price instability, to secure long-term energy supply and to achieve an energy mix that assures sustainability. India, China and other developing countries in Asia have ambitious nuclear power deployment programmes in order to support growing energy demand and per capita energy consumption. The IAEA has a mandate to secure the benefit of the peaceful use of nuclear technology for sustainability while working against the misuse of nuclear material. Under this mandate, many guidance documents have been prepared and various technical cooperation projects are carried out to support energy planning and infrastructure building to prepare for and to sustain nuclear power operation. Basically, the IAEA can provide support by four types of activities; a) helping the process in various stages, b) helping informed decision-making through providing analytical tools and publishing technical documents, and c) reducing institutional impediments through regional cooperation, multi-national arrangement and others; and d) supporting collaborative assessments and research toward development of nuclear plants and their applications. The paper describes the observed rising expectation and the IAEA's activities in response to the rising expectation of the role of nuclear power

[en] Utilities' Severe Accident Management strategies, selected based on Individual Plant Examination, are in the process of implementation for each operating plant. Activities for the next generation LWR design are going on by Utilities, NSSS vendors and Research Institutes. The proposed new designs vary from evolutionary design to revolutionary design such as the supercritical LWR. Discussion on the consideration of Severe Accident in the design of next generation LWR is being held to establish the industry's self-regulatory document on containment design and its performance, which ABWR-IER (Improved Evolutionary Reactor) on the part of BWR and Evolutionary APWR and New PWR21 on the part of PWR are expected to comply. Conceptual design study for ABWR-IER will illustrate an example of design approach for the prevention and mitigation of Severe Accident and its impact on capital cost