Nuclear: Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) and Economic Simplified Boiler Water Reactor (ESBWR)
The ABWR is the world's first and only Generation III nuclear plant design in operation today, providing customers the benefit of a combined 20 reactor-years of operational experience, and GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's Generation III+ ESBWR will feature a simpler design with advanced passive safety systems and natural circulation.
Environmental Benefit
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's ABWR and ESBWR nuclear plants are designed to generate electricity while producing nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions during operation. Compared to typical generation on the U.S. grid, the electricity produced by an ABWR or ESBWR would avoid the emission of approximately 6.7 million metric tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 1.3 million cars on U.S. roads.
Operating Benefit
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s ABWR and ESBWR designs are expected to have 34 percent to 40 percent lower staffing and maintenance costs per kWh than currently operating Generation I and II nuclear reactors in the U.S. This is primarily due to their increased generating capacity as well as increased capacity factor and systems simplification.
