Global nuclear power numbers from BP

Curious about global nuclear power trends and implications for the uranium market – I extracted the latest from the latest BP Statistical Review of World Energy that now includes 2016. Global electricity generation by fuel type. I had to calculate the fossil fuel column by subtraction. https://i0.wp.com/www.warwickhughes.com/agri16/globelec16.jpg?w=474
Click for chart of main global nuclear generating nations. Shows the shutdown by Japan after 2011 earthquake & tsunami – and very slow pace of restarts.

2 thoughts on “Global nuclear power numbers from BP”

  1. The drop in nuclear power is basically Japan, and next Germany, somewhat made up for by rocketing nuclear power use in China.

    Hard to believe how crazy people are about nuclear power around the world. They ban it on safety and environmental grounds even though it is far safer and has a far smaller footprint than wind turbines. People still go ape about the Fukushima nuclear disaster 6 years ago even though not a single person was killed by radiation, and the reactor should never have built where it was with so little tsunami protection. Their other prize example is Chernobyl, more than 30 years ago, which they think killed thousands or even millions, when the death toll was less than 100 and again the reactor was totally unsafe by Western standards even at the time.

    Meanwhile there are multiple fatal accidents with wind turbines every year to generate a fraction of the power provided by nuclear reactors, but when do you ever hear about such wind power deaths on the news? www.caithnesswindfarms.co.uk/AccidentStatistics.htm

  2. 60 nuclear plants under construction worlwide, but few in Western countries.

    www.nei.org/Knowledge-Center/Nuclear-Statistics/World-Statistics/Nuclear-Units-Under-Construction-Worldwide

    The basic problem is cost and risk. The financial risks are so large only governments can carry them.

    At some point we will have cheaper and inherently safer designs (which is not to imply current designs are unsafe), but they still seem some way off.

    I am sceptical of the claims for thorium reactors. India has had thorium research reactors for 30 years, and they still haven’t built a commercial reactor.

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