Panel discussion on the state of the art on the introduction of fast reactor power stations into a generating network

W. HAFELE Ladies and gentlemen, I should like to call this meeting to order. This is an international conference on fast reactor power stations and therefore it is only natural that we should have, towards the end, a panel discussion on the state of the art on the introduction of fast reactor power stations into a generating network. At the same time it is an historic conference bec ause this morning we heard the announcement that the French prototype reactor PHENIX has come up to full power and we should realize that this is the end of the beginning. This past period of determining the features and objectives of pro totype reactos has lasted for more than ten years; in fact some may say twenty or more years, and we are now at the end of the beginning which in dicates tremendous success. There is not only PHENIX, but also PFR immediat ely ahead becoming a power station delivering power to the grid, and there is a third partner in this group, the BN 350 which is also produc ing power. For this reason I think it is appro priate to recall the original objectives and scope for bringing these prototype reactors about, namely, above all to produce cheap electricity in competition with sometimes unusually cheap fossil fuel, with breeding being only a side con sideration. The idea was that the breeder reac tor should breed but within that constraint it should be optimized for the production of cheap electricity competitively. Now therefore is an appropriate time to ask some of the basic quest ions that were asked ten years ago. How can such a prototype reactor respond to load changes? How quickly can startup be demonstrated? This morning we have heard six hours and I though that was very important information. What is the expected average load factor and what do we aim for in the design of a fast breeder reactor