Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor

  • Introduction
  • Benefits
  • Detailed Information
  • Links & Downloads
  • Gallery

  • Introduction

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    The Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR) is the latest evolution of GE’s Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) design, using passive circulation for normal operations and simplified, passive safety systems. This design simplicity greatly improves the overall safety of the plant, provides more location options, yields excellent economics and operational flexibility.

  • Benefits

    Did you know:

    GE's ESBWR nuclear reactor is designed to generate electricity while producing nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions during operations. Compared to the current mix of U.S. electricity, the electricity produced by a 1520 MW ESBWR nuclear reactor would avoid the emission of 7.4 million tons of greenhouse gases per year, or the equivalent of taking 1.3 million passenger vehicles off U.S. roads for a year.

    Source: GE Energy

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    Did you know:

    The ESBWR's simplified passive design is more economical to build and operate than previous reactor designs by an expected factor of 15 - 20 percent per kilowatt. Simplification of plant systems and structures has been the primary design goal of the ESBWR program, where passive systems utilize less equipment, which also translates into a smaller building footprint. The ESBWR nuclear reactor utilizes a smaller footprint than other advanced reactor designs. These same passive features also allow for easier routine service and maintenance resulting in lower operating costs, and greater operational flexibility.

    Source: GE Energy

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  • Detailed Information

    Next Generation Energy

    The environmental challenge

    The world's population needs more energy than ever before. And with an increasing focus on the environmental impact of potential sources, GE wanted to help find a way to provide a large, reliable energy source with minimal greenhouse gas emissions from generation.


    GE's innovative solution

    Building upon over fifty years of safe and proven nuclear BWR design and operating experience, GE has created the Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor (ESBWR), which integrates best practices with next generation technology. This design's simplicity and passive safety features offer design improvements for greater safety, security, economics and overall reliability.


    Environmental impact

    GE's ESBWR is designed to generate electricity while producing nearly zero greenhouse gas emissions during operations. Compared to the current mix of U.S. electricity, the electricity produced by a 1520 MW ESBWR nuclear reactor would avoid the emission of 7.4 million tons of greenhouse gases per year, or the equivalent of taking 1.3 million passenger vehicles off U.S. roads for a year.


    Conventional coal power plants alone would use 305 million tons of coal, and natural gas combined-cycle power plants alone would use 127 billion cubic meters of natural gas, to generate the same amount of electricity a single GE ESBWR nuclear reactor is designed to produce over its 60-year lifetime.


    Reducing costs

    One GE ESBWR nuclear reactor is designed to produce as much electricity annually as is consumed by 1.1 million average U.S. households.


    The ESBWR incorporates numerous innovative features such as enhanced safety systems and a simplified reactor design. ESBWR capital costs are projected to be 15-20 percent lower per kilowatt. These same features also allow for easier routine service and maintenance.


  • Links & Downloads

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