ML20043F082
| ML20043F082 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 03/26/1990 |
| From: | Carr NRC COMMISSION (OCM) |
| To: | Bevill HOUSE OF REP., APPROPRIATIONS |
| References | |
| BEVILL-900326, CCS, NUDOCS 9006140148 | |
| Download: ML20043F082 (1) | |
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900 //f MR. BEVILL:
How does the availability of U.S. nuclear reactors compare to those in Japan and Europe?
i CHAIRMAN CARR:
We are aware of the excellent availability records of many commercial light water reactors in a number of other countries.
The U.S. industry, on the average, is not yet at the level of such countries as Japan and West Germany.
The U.S. industry did make significant improvements in availability from 1986 through 1988. However, even though the average availability of U.S. plants in the first ten months of 1989 is beluw its 1988 average, the differences between U.S. ano Japanese plants and between U.S. and European plants have decreased considerably.
For example. based on data compiled by McGraw-Hill, the average availability for Japanese plants has decraased from 78 percent in 1986 to about 72 percent in 1989 and for European plants the average availability has de-creased from 78 percent in 1987 to about 75 percent in 1989. During this time the average availability of U.S. plants has increased from 66 percent in 1986 to about 69 percent in 1989.
Based on 1989 industry statistics for gross capacity factor, onother measure of overall performance, nine U.S. units ranked in the top 25 in the world (excluding the Soviet Union, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria, as compiled by McGraw-Hill).
00 Q 1 Q 49 900326 BEVILLo43 PDC Question 43/Bevill/AE00 03/26/90
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