A new era of nuclear energy is emerging through innovative nuclear reactors that are to satisfy the new philosophies and criteria that are being developed by the INPRO program of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It is establishing a new paradigm in relation to nuclear energy. The future reactors should meet the new standards in respect to safety, economy, non-proliferation, nuclear waste, and environmental impact. The fixed bed nuclear reactor (FBNR) is a small nuclear reactor that meets all the requirements. It is an inherently safe and passively cooled reactor that is fool proof against nuclear proliferation. It is simple in design and economic. It can serve in a dual purpose plant to produce simultaneously both electricity and desalinated water, thus making it especially suitable to the needs of the Middle-East Countries. FBNR is being developed with the support of the IAEA under its program of small reactors without on-site refueling. The reactor uses the pressurized water reactor technology. It fulfills the objectives of design simplicity, inherent and passive safety, economy, standardization, shop fabrication, easy transportability, and high availability. The inherent safety characteristic of the reactor dispenses with the need for containment; however, a simple underground containment is envisaged for the reactor in order to reduce any adverse visual impact. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.