Maintaining the Competitive Edge

Abstract

Generating stations employing CANDU heavy water reactors have now firmly established an enviable record for reliable, economic electricity generation. Their designers recognize, however, that further improvements are both possible and necessary to ensure that this reactor type remains attractively competitive with alternative nuclear power systems and with fossil-fuelled generation plants. This paper outlines planned development thrusts n a number of important areas, viz., capital cost reduction, advanced fuel cycles, safety, capacity factor, life extension, load following, operator aids, and personnel radiation exposure.