The Associated Press, Wednesday, November 21, 2007
BRUSSELS, Belgium: The amount of electricity that comes from nuclear power has decreased over the last five years in most of the countries operating nuclear plants, said a study released Wednesday.
Decreases were found in 21 of the 31 countries with nuclear power stations, and the number of nuclear reactors dropped by five to 439 since 2003, according to the study, which was commissioned by the European Parliament's Green Party. The research itself was carried out by two European experts on nuclear energy.
The study explained that since 1988, when the number of nuclear reactors in Europe peaked, aging nuclear plants have been closing and fewer new stations have been built due to strong competition from natural gas and other forms of renewable energy and an insufficient manufacturing capacity.
Altogether, around 16 percent of electricity generated worldwide comes from nuclear power, the study said. France had the highest amount of nuclear-generated power in its electricity mix in 2006 — 78.1 percent — followed by Lithuania, Slovakia and Belgium, where the share was also higher than 50 percent.
The United States had the highest number of nuclear reactors at 104. They provided 19.4 percent of the country's electricity.
The European Union's 27 nations are divided over nuclear power — a technology that creates little CO2 but a lot of radioactive waste. France is the most vocal advocate of atomic energy, arguing it could play a major role in replacing coal- or oil-fired power plants to help meet the EU's target of generating a fifth of its energy from CO2-free power by 2020. Austria is the biggest opponent, preferring hydropower instead.
Brussels 21.11.2007
Nuclear energy
New report highlights nuclear decline in spite of industry talk of renaissance
A new study, presented by the Greens/EFA group, highlights that the nuclear industry is in decline. The proportion of power generation, the number of reactors and the number under construction have all decreased, in contrast to the claims of the industry.
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