World Nuclear Industry Status Report facts for kids
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report is a yearly report that looks at the big picture of nuclear power around the world. It talks about the challenges and changes happening in this industry. The reports have shown that nuclear power's share of the world's electricity has gone down since the year 2000. Right now, nuclear power makes about 13 percent of the world's electricity. It provides about 5.5 percent of all the energy we use.
Contents
What is the World Nuclear Industry Status Report?
The World Nuclear Industry Status Report is like a detailed check-up for the nuclear power industry. Experts write it every year. They gather information from all over the globe. This helps everyone understand how nuclear energy is doing. It also shows what challenges it faces.
Who Writes the Report?
The report for 2010-2011 was written by Mycle Schneider, Antony Froggatt, and Steve Thomas. The Worldwatch Institute, a group based in Washington, published it. A well-known energy expert named Amory Lovins wrote the introduction.
Key Findings from the 2010-2011 Report
The 2010-2011 report shared some important points about nuclear power. It said that the international nuclear power industry was struggling. It could not stop nuclear energy from slowly becoming less common.
Aging Nuclear Reactors
One big issue was that many nuclear reactors around the world were getting old. Not enough new ones were being built to replace them. As of April 1, 2011, there were 437 nuclear reactors working globally. This was seven fewer than in 2002. This shows a trend of fewer reactors operating.
Problems at Olkiluoto Plant
The report highlighted specific problems at a plant called Olkiluoto in Finland. This plant was building a new type of reactor called EPR. It was managed by AREVA NP, a very large nuclear builder. However, the project faced huge money problems. It was four years behind schedule. It also cost at least 90 percent more than planned. The total cost reached about €5.7 billion, which is a lot of money.
Impact of the Fukushima Disaster
The report also explained how the Fukushima I nuclear accidents made things even harder for nuclear energy. These accidents happened in Japan. They caused many people to worry about nuclear safety. The report suggested that there was no clear sign the nuclear industry could improve its situation. It believed the Fukushima disaster would likely make the decline of nuclear power happen even faster.
Future of Nuclear Power
Building new nuclear power plants takes a very long time, often 10 years or more. Because of this, the report said it would be hard to keep the number of working nuclear plants the same. It would be even harder to increase them over the next 20 years. The report also pointed out that nuclear power development could not keep up with the speed of renewable energy commercialization. This means energy sources like solar and wind power were growing much faster.
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