What are Fast Breeder Reactors?: Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR) are nuclear reactors producing more fuel than consumed. Construction and operation of experimental/prototype reactors has been completed and the demonstration stage has been reached as a result of active development in many countries since the 1950's.

Why Flexible?: FBR can be designed for outputs ranging from very small to very large reactors while thermal efficiency is higher than for light water reactors. Inherent safety can be exploited to create easy to operate reactors. The establishment of a nuclear fuel cycle based on pyrometallurgical reprocessing technology that does not handle pure plutonium has advantages including strong proliferation resistance and can be used by developing countries as well as developed countries as an energy source.

Why Clean?: In addition to no CO2, NOX, and SOX emissions from nuclear power generation, it is easy to design FBR fuel so that long operating periods without refueling are possible, reducing the amount of spent fuel (radioactive waste). Furthermore, the high energy of the neutrons can be used to transmute long half-life isotopes in radioactive waste into short half-life species resulting in shorter management periods for wastes.

Why Abundant?: Current proven reserves of natural uranium are equivalent to a 70 year supply at the current rate of consumption by light water reactors. The use of FBR would result in an about 100 times increase in the effective use of this resource and humankind would have a source of nuclear power that would not be depleted for several thousand years.

This page updated July 27, 2001