New industrial techniques are driving down construction times and undermining the common argument against nuclear power stations that they take too long to build, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.
According to the agency, three recent large-scale nuclear projects took between six and 10 years to build with modular construction techniques, lessons learned from previous projects and early engagement with the regulator all crucial to progress.
The three projects were Fuqing-5 and -6 in China, Leningrad 2-2 in Russia and Vogtle-3 and -4 in the US. All five plants are advanced pressurised water reactors, but differ from previous generations of reactors by using passive or inherent safety systems, having an element of design standardisation and using elements of modular construction, making them faster and cheaper to build.