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Background
The AP600 was originally developed by Westinghouse as part of the cooperative U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) Program. The Westinghouse AP600 team developed a simplified, safe and economic 600-megawatt plant to enter into a new era of nuclear power generation. Designed to satisfy the standards set by the DOE and defined in the ALWR Utility Requirements Document (URD), the Westinghouse AP600 is an elegant combination of innovative passive safety systems that rely on dependable natural forces and proven operating plant technologies.
During the AP600 design program, a comprehensive test program was carried out to verify passive safety systems, components and containment behavior. When the test program was completed at the end of 1994, the AP600 became the most thoroughly tested advanced reactor design ever reviewed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The test results confirmed the exceptional behavior of the passive systems and have been instrumental in facilitating analysis code validations.
Following an extensive review by the U.S. NRC, the AP600 received final design approval in September 1998. The Design Certification was issued in 1999. A detailed design program (FOAKE-First-of-a-Kind-Engineering) was completed under the sponsorship of the DOE, the Advanced Reactor Corporation (ARC) and EPRI.
Like the AP600, the AP1000™ reactor provides a high degree of public safety and licensing certainty. It draws upon over 40 years of experience in light water reactor components and technology. The AP1000 received final design approval from the U.S. NRC and was then issued Design Certification in January 2006. |
