Current status of accident tolerant fuel (ATF) development, 1; Overview of ATF development conducted under the technology development project for improving nuclear safety

Yamashita, Shinichiro   

In the wake of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) of TEPCO due to the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, interest in the early implementation of accident tolerant fuel (ATF) not only for many existing NPPs but also for future NPPs, which is expected to dramatically improve the safety of light water reactors, has increased globally, and research and development is currently underway in many countries around the world. In this article, an overview of domestic ATF technology development that has been carried out with the support of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry since 2015, will be introduced.