The competitive position of a generation iv nuclear power plant – T. van de Wiel
Nations worldwide encounter energy provision related difficulties like air pollution, fossil fuel availability, reliability and security. The Dutch government set forth its aims in the reliable, affordable and clean policy stressing that the Netherlands should become less reliant on other countries, high prices and polluting fuels. New nuclear power plant permits have been turned down over the last three decades but the government is now open for issuing new permits. Thereby, the size of the market that can be supplied with electricity from Dutch power plants is increasing due to the expansion of the number of interconnections and increased integration with electricity markets in neighboring countries. Consequently the share of nuclear power plants is expected to grow. At the time typical advanced light water reactors set the standard in technology and economics, however, prospective fast reactors hold an incredible potential in terms of resource utilization and waste management. This research explored the competitive performance of one type of fast reactor and compared it with a current established light water reactor through the use of Grey Relational Analysis (GRA) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) modelling. The results of the GRA show that the fast reactor has a higher overall performance technically however in sheer terms of economics the light water reactor excels. The stakeholders that were involved in the AHP rated the significance of costs related performance attributes clearly as predominant factor, which ultimately pleads for the light water reactor. Hence the light water reactor at this time is considered as most competitive.
