Today, 30 nations have nuclear power reactors, 14% of the world power comes from nuclear, and 56 nations have research reactors. Right now, under-construction reactors have the capability to add 17% to existing capacity, and planned reactors could add an additional 49%.
This is enhanced by the climate change crisis that plagues the world. The UN recently declared that in order to avoid disastrous results, the climate cannot rise more than two degrees Celsius in this century. To ensure this, the UN set a target for minimizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By 2050, in order to avoid a temperature increase above two degrees Celsius, GHG emissions must be reduced by 70%.
Fossil fuels have high emissions. Natural gas emissions are lower than some, but there are still emissions. But some renewable sources are too expensive to match the cost-efficiency of conventional sources... Nuclear power is cheaper than conventional power, and it has zero emissions. Naturally it makes sense for government's to pursue it.
30 nations across the globe have nuclear reactors. Those 30 nations account for a total of 435 nuclear reactors and a total capacity of 374,108 MWe. But plenty more nations have either planned or proposed reactors expected to be online by 2030. There are 71 reactors under construction with a combined capacity of 65,139 MWe, 167 are planned for a total capacity of 184,415 MWe, and 317 are proposed, with a total expected capacity of 359,655 MWe.
Assuming currently operating reactors remain online, that would bring total global nuclear capacity to 983,317 MWe by 2030. That is nearly triple the capacity in just 18 years. Even now, though only 30 nations have operating nuclear power reactors, many more actually use that power through imports.
In the summer of 2011, Italians overwhelmingly opposed an administrative plan to build nuclear reactors in the country....but read on ...
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Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-