The main use of nuclear energy is the generation of electricity in nuclear power plants.
Nuclear power plants are facilities that have a nuclear reactor. Nuclear fission reactions are generated in the reactor to generate heat. The other elements of the plant are capable of processing this heat to generate electricity.
The use of this technology is regulated by international treaties and not all countries have the technology to build nuclear power plants.
List of countries with nuclear power plants
Here is the list of countries that have nuclear reactors:
| Pais | Reactors |
|---|---|
| USA | 131 |
| Canada | 25 |
| Japan | 62 |
| Mexico | 2 |
| Argentina | 3 |
| India | 27 |
| Spain | 17 |
| France | 71 |
| Ukraine | 21 |
| Brazil | 3 |
| Italy | 4 |
| Russian Federation | 48 |
| United Kingdom | 45 |
| South Korea | 27 |
| China | 43 |
| Germany | 36 |
Presence of nuclear power plants by continents
Distribution of nuclear power generation plants by continent:
Europe
France is the country with the largest number of nuclear power plants in Europe and is also the largest producer of nuclear power on the continent. Nuclear power represents approximately 70% of the total electricity production in France.
Other European countries, such as the UK, Germany and Sweden, also have a significant percentage of their electricity generation coming from nuclear power.
North America
The United States is the country with the largest number of nuclear power plants in North America. Nuclear power is a major source of electricity in the country, accounting for approximately 20% of total electricity production.
Canada also has a significant proportion of its electricity generation coming from nuclear power, accounting for around 15% of total production.
Asia
Japan has reduced its reliance on nuclear power after the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Before the incident, nuclear power accounted for about 30% of the country's electricity production. Since then, several nuclear plants have been shut down and only a few have come back online.
China is increasing its nuclear capacity rapidly and aims to increase its nuclear power production in the coming years. Nuclear power currently accounts for about 5% of the country's total electricity production.
Other Asian countries, such as India, South Korea, and Pakistan, also have a significant proportion of their electricity generation coming from nuclear power.
South America
Argentina and Brazil are the main countries in South America in terms of nuclear power generation.
Argentina gets about 5% of its electricity from nuclear power, while in Brazil, nuclear power accounts for about 3% of total electricity production.
Africa
South Africa is the only African country with a functioning nuclear power plant, the Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant. Nuclear power accounts for about 5% of the total electricity production in the country.
Other African countries, such as Egypt and Nigeria, are considering developing nuclear programs in the future to increase their electricity generation capacity.
Oceania
Australia does not have nuclear power plants and does not produce nuclear power for electricity generation.
On the other hand, the only nation in Oceania that uses nuclear power is New Zealand. However, New Zealand's nuclear electricity production is minimal and represents only a small fraction of its total energy mix.
Countries that can build nuclear plants
Currently, there are several countries that manufacture nuclear power plants and export this technology to other countries. Some of the most important countries are:
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United States: The Westinghouse Electric Company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of nuclear reactors.
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Russia: The state company Rosatom is one of the largest manufacturers of nuclear reactors in the world and has exported its technology to several countries, including India, Iran, Turkey, among others.
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China: The country has developed its own nuclear reactor technology and has exported this technology to countries such as Pakistan and Argentina.
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France: The state company EDF is one of the main nuclear energy companies in the world and has exported its technology to several countries.
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Japan: Companies like Toshiba, Hitachi, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have built nuclear reactors and exported their technology to other countries.
In addition, other countries such as South Korea, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany also have experience in manufacturing nuclear reactors.
Countries with uranium reserves
There are many countries that have uranium mines in different parts of the world. Some of the most important countries in terms of uranium production and reserves include:
- kazakhstan
- Canada
- Australia
- Russia
- Namibia
- Niger
- uzbekistan
- USA
- China
- Ukraine
In addition, other countries such as Brazil, India, South Africa, Argentina, Mongolia, and France also have significant uranium reserves and operating mines. It is important to note that the availability of uranium does not guarantee that a country has the technology or the capacity to produce nuclear power or nuclear weapons.