U.S. responsible for 31% of the globe’s nuclear-generated electricity

Adebayo Obajemu (with agency report)

According to a StockApps data presentation, the U.S. is behind the generation of the most nuclear electricity globally. According to it, the United States’ nuclear power plants churn out nearly 790,000 GWh of electricity, which is roughly 31% of the world’s total electricity production from the resource.

StockApps’ finance and investments lead Edith Reads has weighed in on the data. She says , “America looks to nuclear energy as a source of clean energy. It has, therefore, not shied from investing in the resource that continues to draw criticism elsewhere. Again bar the heavy initial outlay, Nuclear power production is cheap and safe to operate under strict protocols.”

15 Countries are said to produce over 90% of the world’s nuclear power, as same
account for some 2.345 million GWh of the world’s total of roughly 2.553 GWh of nuclear-generated electricity.

America is said to be leader in the resource’s generated capacity, as its nuclear energy production meets over 50% of its clean electricity needs. The country recently extended the working lives of 88 of its active reactors. That extension will see them remain in operation until 2040.

China comes in second with a production of nearly 345,000 GWh of nuclear electricity. This figure amounts to about 13.5% of the world’s total. Moreover, the Asian powerhouse is ramping up investments in the area in line with its sustainability goals. It plans to commission 150 new reactors before 2035 at over $400B.

France has the highest reliance on Nuclear Energy

European countries rely more on nuclear power than their peers from other continents. IAEA’s data shows France has the highest reliance on this form of energy. Up to 71% of the French electricity comes from nuclear sources, explaining its support for the energy source.

And despite being the world’s largest producer, the U.S. is seventeenth globally in terms of its reliance on nuclear power.