The latest Westinghouse nuclear power plant (NPP) designs offer significant safety advantages in addition to enhancements in operability, cycle cost, and construction cost over existing NPPs. The passive safety systems of the 600-MW plant that Westinghouse is designing as part of a U.S. Department of Energy/ Electric Power Research Institute cooperative program to develop innovative advanced light water reactors are described. The new passive safety injection system, the passive residual heat removal system, and the new containment structure are explained. The test programs now under way to validate the design is also discussed. Finally, the new safety features incorporated into the Westinghouse 1300- and 1000-MW plant designs, including the digital instrumentation and control systems that automatically engage safety systems when plant conditions reach trip setpoints, are described. All of these features simplify the plant design, reduce operator intervention, and provide additional safety.