Nuclear power

Certain nuclear reactions will release nuclear energy, which can be utilized by us, e.g. in nuclear power plants that produce electricity with the help of steam turbines and a generator.

Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and nuclear decay. As of 2019, all commercial nuclear reactors use fission, and nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium is the dominating source of energy in commercial nuclear power plants. A lot of research has been put into trying to create a way of using nuclear fusion as the power source instead, but so far there are no power plants running on fusion. Nuclear decay is only utilized as an energy source in certain niche applications, such as radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) in satellites, space probes, and unmanned remote lighthouses.

Civilian nuclear power

Data from 2017 show that in that year, nuclear power plants supplied us with 2,488 terawatt hours (TWh) of electricity. This was roughly equivalent to 10% of the total global electricity generation.

Nuclear power is classified as an energy supply that only releases very low amounts of greenhouse gas. Increased reliance on electricity from nuclear power plants has therefore been highlighted as a way of combating global warming. Major problems associated with nuclear power plants is the risk of nuclear disasters and the current lack of safe long-term storage solutions for the long-lasting and very dangerous radioactive materials that are created.

Civilian fission reactors producing electricity for the power grid

As of 2018, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) knew of 449 operable civilian fission reactors in the world used to generate electricity for the power grid. Their combined capacity was 394 GW.

IAEA also listed 58 reactors that were under construction and 154 planned reactors. The 58 reactors had a combined planned capacity for 63 GW, while the 154 planned reactors were intended to generate a combined 157 GW.

A majority of the reactors that were under constructions in 2018 were generation III reactors located in Asia.

Nuclear power plants around the world

nuclear power map

There are nuclear power plants in operation in circa 30 countries worldwide. A majority of these countries are located in Europe, North America, or Asia (especially East Asia and South Asia).

In 2012, the year after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the global nuclear electricity generation was at its lowest level since 1999.

Only five countries in the world derive a majority of their electricity from nuclear power plants. They are France, Slovakia, Ukraine, Belgium, and Hungary.

The single largest producer of electricity from nuclear powerplants is the United States, where well over 800,000 GWh was produced in 2017.

Expansion and reduction

The country where nuclear power is growing fastest right now is China, where over 25 reactors are under construction. Other notable countries are India, Russia, and South Korea, where nuclear power generation is also expanding at a fast pace.

Examples of countries that are going in the opposite direction, i.e. planning to phase out their nuclear power plants, are Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and Spain. Italy closed all its nuclear power stations by 1990 after a national referendum. Sweden, the Netherlands, and Taiwan are also considering a phase-out, but the political situation there is more fractured and no commitment has been made to firm plans.

The Downside – Nuclear waste

Nuclear waste, often termed radioactive waste, is a byproduct generated from nuclear reactions in power plants and certain scientific applications. This waste possesses radioactive properties that can remain hazardous for thousands of years, making its management a crucial aspect of nuclear technology.

There are various classifications of nuclear waste based on radioactivity levels: from low-level waste, which includes items like contaminated protective clothing, to high-level waste, which arises from the nuclear fuel reprocessing. High-level waste, particularly, emits intense radiation and heat and demands extremely robust containment. Managing and disposing of radioactive waste safely is paramount to protect both the environment and living beings. While low-level waste can be stored until its radioactivity decays to safe levels and then discarded, high-level waste requires more sophisticated handling. Many countries store high-level waste in deep geological repositories—underground facilities constructed in stable rock formations. The idea is to isolate the waste from the biosphere for its hazardous life.

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The largest nuclear power plant in the world

The largest nuclear power plant in the world by net electrical power rating is the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant in Japan’s Niigata Prefecture.

Its nameplate capacity is 7,965 MW generated from five units producing 1,067 MW each and two units with a capacity of 1,315 MW each. However, at the time of writing, all its power generating units are shut down since safety improvements are being carried due to increased safety concerns in the wake of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011. Reactors 6 and 7 are the ones scheduled to be restarted again first. Reactors 2, 3 and 4 were already shut down when the 2011 earthquake occurred, since they had been shut down after an earthquake in 2007 and not restarted again.

The Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant was built during the first half of the 1980s and is owned and operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Company. It houses the world’s first Advanced Boiling Water Reactor.

Nuclear power by country in 2017

Country Operational

reactors

Reactors

under

construction

Capacity
Net-total (MWe)
Generated
electricity (GWh)
Share of total
electricity 
use in the country
 Argentina

3

1

1633

5716.27

4.5%

 Armenia

1

0

375

2411.39

32.5%

 Bangladesh

0

2

No data

No data

No data

 Belarus

0

2

No data

No data

No data

 Belgium

7

0

5918

40186.70

49.9%

 Brazil

2

1

1884

14854.33

2.7%

 Bulgaria

2

0

1926

14872.26

34.3%

 Canada

19

0

13554

95131.20

14.6%

 China

39

19

34514

232796.74

3.9%

 Czech Republic

6

0

3930

26784.68

33.1%

 Finland

4

1

2769

21573.97

33.2%

 France

58

1

63130

381846.02

71.6%

 Germany

Scheduled to be phased-out by 2022

8

0

10799

72162.80

11.6%

 Hungary

4

0

1889

15218.92

50.0%

 India

22

6

6255

20004.34

3.2%

 Iran

1

0

915

6366.21

2.2%

 Japan

Most reactors are currently stopped, since safety improvements are being carried out

42

2

39752

29285.05

3.6%

 Korea, Republic of

25

2

23070

141278.32

27.1%

 Mexico

2

0

1552

10571.92

6.0%

 Netherlands

1

0

482

3263.18

2.9%

 Pakistan

5

2

1318

8108.93

6.2%

 Romania

2

0

1300

10580.15

17.6%

 Russia

35

7

26142

190115.15

17.8%

 Slovakia

4

2

1814

14015.82

54.0%

 Slovenia

1

0

696

5289

40%

 South Africa

2

0

1860

15087.29

6.7%

 Spain

7

0

7121

55627.75

21.2%

 Sweden

9

0

9102

63062.89

39.6%

 Switzerland

Phasing out is planned

5 0 3333 19590.70 33.4%
 Taiwan 6 2 5052 21560.47 9.3%
 Turkey 0 1 No data No data No data
 Ukraine 15 2 13107 80405.85 55.1%
 United Arab Emirates 0 4 No data No data No data
 United Kingdom 15 1 8918 63886.83 19.3%
 United States 99 2 99952 805647.33 20.0%

Investing in Nuclear power

Many corporations in the nuclear industry are privately owned but there is also a number that are publicly traded and that you can buy stock in.  Examples of companies active in this nuclear industry include NuScale, Energy Solutions, and Duke Energy.

If you want to buy stock in a company in the nuclear industry you are going to need an account with a stockbroker. If you want to invest in a company that is listed on the NYSE or NASDAQ then you can choose any cheap stock broker such as eTrade, RobinHood or TD AmeriTrade. I personally use the RobinHood app that allow me to trade for free without any trading fees.

If you want to invest in a foreign company listed on any other stock market such as the Frankfurt Exchange or the Tokyo Stock Exchange then you need to make sure that the stockbroker you have chosen offer trade on this exchange before you register with that browser.

I also strongly recommend that you check the fees associated with trades on the exchange in question.  Fees for trades on foreign exchanges can sometimes be a lot higher than the fees you would pay for trades on the NYSE or NASDAQ.