9.1. INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES

This chapter discusses the status of nuclear programmes that are proceeding in the various countries that currently operate nuclear plant. It covers the European countries, North America (US and Canada), the countries of Asia (Japan, Korea, China, and India), the Russian Federation and other areas (e. g. South Africa and Latin America). The majority of countries with nuclear programmes are focussing on water-cooled systems to provide their requirement. Reference is also made to progress with other reactor systems in the countries where they occur. The emphasis though in this chapter is on current and near-term activities; longer term initiatives are reviewed later in the book.

At present, there are significant differences among the countries with current nuclear programmes in regard to their position on nuclear power for the future. New build is continuing in Asia, including some evolutionary plants. One European country, Finland seems likely to place an order for a large water reactor in the near future. In contrast, some countries with large current programmes have moratoria on the building of new plant; others remain uncommitted or neutral. There are also some countries in Central and Eastern Europe that have plants at different (in some cases advanced) stages of completion. Progress has been halted in some cases due to economic or other reasons.