Artificial intelligence systems being developed by Argonne National Laboratory scientists under a three-year, $1m (€1.01m) project show promise in streamlining nuclear power plant operations and maintenance and increasing nuclear energy's competitiveness – potentially saving the nuclear industry more than $500m a year.

The Illinois laboratory said it is midway through the project to explore how smart, computerised systems could change the economics. “We think that autonomous operation can help to improve their profitability and also benefit the deployment of advanced reactor concepts,” said ANL principal nuclear engineer Roberto Ponciroli.

ANL said nuclear power plants are expensive in part because they demand constant monitoring and maintenance to ensure consistent power flow and safety.