14 Commercial nuclear power
Generations of nuclear energy
Commercial reactors, designed to generate electricity, were first built in the 1950s. These are the so-called ‘Generation I’ concepts. Generations II, III, and III+ are the reactors operating around the world today. These are considered evolutionary designs; they are all water-cooled reactor designs. Each generation featured advanced safety systems. The most advanced reactors are the Generation III+ AP1000 (USA) and APR1400 (ROK). These have more passive safety systems and emergency cooling.
Generation IV concepts are considered ‘revolutionary’ designs. Many are just Generation I designs on a larger scale. Most are non-water cooled designs. A top billing for the Generation IV systems is ‘enhanced proliferation resistance’.