The agency's nuclear power plan for 2000 reflects a growing focus on economic competition arising from the liberalization of the worldwide electricity market.A number of documents have been published and the database further expanded, containing information, recommendations and guidance prepared by the agency on proven engineering and management practices for achieving improved safety, reliability and economic efficiency at nuclear power plants.They are also available in electronic form and widely distributed to end-users in member states.The key to nuclear power's future role is innovation, and successful innovation requires substantial investment worldwide.The agency could promote international exchanges and cooperation in this area, making it more efficient and cost-effective to reinforce and complement each other.The recommendations made by a number of senior advisory groups and expert groups on innovative concepts and the recent planning activities related to them led to the agreement of a number of member states in November to establish a new international project (INPRO) on innovative nuclear reactors and fuel cycles.The project will be based on ongoing planning activities in the areas of new technologies and applications, including small and medium-sized reactors, water-cooled reactor improvements, fast reactors, high-temperature modular gas-cooled reactors and desalination applications.

機構(gòu)2000年的核動力計劃反映了對世界范圍 電力市場自由化所引發(fā)的經(jīng)濟競爭日趨重視。出 版了一些文件并進一步擴大了數(shù)據(jù)庫，其中載有 關(guān)于針對實現(xiàn)提高核動力廠安全性、可靠性和經(jīng)濟費用效果好的被證實的工程和管理實踐方面 的信息、建議和由機構(gòu)卻下編寫的導(dǎo)則。這些內(nèi)容也以電子形式提供并廣泛地散發(fā)給成員國中的最終用 戶。

核動力今后發(fā)揮作用的關(guān)鍵是創(chuàng)新，而成功的創(chuàng)新則要求在世界范圍進行大量投資。機構(gòu) 可促進這一領(lǐng)域的國際交流與合作，使這些工作更能以高效低費的方式相互加強和補充。一些 高級咨詢組和專家小組就創(chuàng)新概念所發(fā)表的建議以及最近有關(guān)創(chuàng)新概念的計劃活動導(dǎo)致若干成 員國在11月一致同意設(shè)立一個有關(guān)創(chuàng)新核反應(yīng)堆和燃料循環(huán)的新的國際項目（INPRO）。該項 目的基礎(chǔ)將是在新技術(shù)和應(yīng)用，包括中小型反應(yīng)堆、水冷堆的改進提高、快堆、高溫模塊氣冷 堆和海水淡化應(yīng)用等領(lǐng)域持續(xù)開展的計劃活動。