Abstract :
Theworlddemandforenergyisgrowingrapidly,particularlyindevelopingcountriesthataretryingtoraisethestandardoflivingforbillionsofpeople,manyofwhomdonothaveaccesstoelectricityorcleanwater.Climatechangeandtheconcernforincreasedemissionsofgreenhousegaseshavebroughtintoquestionthefutureprimaryrelianceoffossilfuels.Withtheprojectedworldwideincreaseinenergydemand,concernfortheenvironmentalimpactofcarbonemissions,andtherecentpricevolatilityoffossilfuels,nuclearenergyisundergoingarapidresurgence.This“nuclearrenaissance”isbroadbased,reachingacrossAsia,NorthAmerica,Europe,aswellasselectedcountriesinAfricaandSouthAmerica.Manycountrieshavepubliclyexpressedtheirintentionstopursuetheconstructionofnewnuclearenergyplants.Somecountriesthathavepreviouslyturnedawayfromcommercialnuclearenergyarereconsideringtheadvisabilityofthisdecision.Thisrenaissanceisfacilitatedbytheavailabilityofmoreadvancedreactordesignsthanareoperatingtoday,withimprovedsafety,economy,andoperations.
