Abstract

The lecture will discuss the factors influencing the decision to build new nuclear power stations in the UK and the rest of the world. It will cover the various steps that are being taken before new stations can be built and commissioned in the UK, together with timelines for the different stages. It will cover briefly the technologies under consideration for new build, two of which received interim design acceptance from the UK regulator in 2011. The lecture will conclude with a discussion of some of the more advanced designs for nuclear power plants of the future, including fission (often referred to as the Generation IV designs) and fusion reactors. Collectively, these would allow broader applications beyond electricity generation, with the potential for high temperature process heat applications, including hydrogen production. They could also provide a means for improving fuel sustainability and reducing the radiotoxicity of long-lived high level waste.