Nuclear power

Expansion and first opposition

The total global installed nuclear capacity initially rose relatively quickly,
rising from less than 1 gigawatt (GW) in 1960 to 100 GW in the late 1970s.[14]
During the 1970s and 1980s rising economic costs (related to extended construction
times largely due to regulatory changes and pressure-group litigation)[19] and
falling fossil fuel prices made nuclear power plants then under construction less
attractive. In the 1980s in the U.S. and 1990s in Europe, the flat electric grid
growth and electricity liberalization also made the addition of large new baseload
energy generators economically unattractive.

The 1973 oil crisis had a significant effect on countries, such as France and
Japan, which had relied more heavily on oil for electric generation to invest in
nuclear power.[20] France would construct 25 nuclear power plants over the next 15
years,[21][22] and as of 2019, 71% of French electricity was generated by nuclear
power, the highest percentage by any nation in the world.[23]

Some local opposition to nuclear power emerged in the United States in the early
1960s.[24] In the late 1960s, some members of the scientific community began to
express pointed concerns.[25] These anti-nuclear concerns related to nuclear
accidents, nuclear proliferation, nuclear terrorism and radioactive waste disposal.
[26] In the early 1970s, there were large protests about a proposed nuclear power
plant in Wyhl, Germany. The project was cancelled in 1975. The anti-nuclear success
at Wyhl inspired opposition to nuclear power in other parts of Europe and North
America.[27][28]

By the mid-1970s anti-nuclear activism gained a wider appeal and influence, and
nuclear power began to become an issue of major public protest.[29][30] In some
countries, the nuclear power conflict "reached an intensity unprecedented in the
history of technology controversies".[31][32] The increased public hostility to
nuclear power led to a longer license procurement process, more regulations and
increased requirements for safety equipment, which made new construction much more
expensive.[33][34] In the United States, over 120 Light Water Reactor proposals
were ultimately cancelled[35] and the construction of new reactors ground to a
halt.[36] The 1979 accident at Three Mile Island with no fatalities, played a major
part in the reduction in the number of new plant constructions in many countries.
[25]

Chernobyl and renaissance

The town of Pripyat abandoned since 1986, with the Chernobyl plant and the
Chernobyl New Safe Confinement arch in the distance

Olkiluoto 3 under construction in 2009. It was the first EPR, a modernized PWR
design, to start construction.
During the 1980s one new nuclear reactor started up every 17 days on average.[37]
By the end of the decade, global installed nuclear capacity reached 300 GW. Since
the late 1980s, new capacity additions slowed significantly, with the installed
nuclear capacity reaching 366 GW in 2005.

The 1986 Chernobyl disaster in the USSR, involving an RBMK reactor, altered the
development of nuclear power and led to a greater focus on meeting international
safety and regulatory standards.[38] It is considered the worst nuclear disaster in
history both in total casualties, with 56 direct deaths, and financially, with the
cleanup and the cost estimated at 18 billion Rbls (US$68 billion in 2019, adjusted
for inflation).[39][40] The international organization to promote safety awareness
and the professional development of operators in nuclear facilities, the World
Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO), was created as a direct outcome of the
1986 Chernobyl accident. The Chernobyl disaster played a major part in the
reduction in the number of new plant constructions in the following years.[25]
Influenced by these events, Italy voted against nuclear power in a 1987 referendum,
[41] becoming the first country to completely phase out nuclear power in 1990.

In the early 2000s, nuclear energy was expecting a nuclear renaissance, an increase
in the construction of new reactors, due to concerns about carbon dioxide
emissions.[42] During this period, newer generation III reactors, such as the EPR
began construction.

Net electrical generation by source and growth from 1980. In terms of energy
generated between 1980 and 2010, the contribution from fission grew the fastest.
Net electrical generation by source and growth from 1980. In terms of energy
generated between 1980 and 2010, the contribution from fission grew the fastest.

Electricity production in France, showing the shift to nuclear power.

thermofossil hydroelectric nuclear Other renewables
Electricity production in France, showing the shift to nuclear power.
thermofossil
hydroelectric
nuclear
Other renewables

The rate of new reactor constructions essentially halted in the late 1980s.
Increased capacity factor in existing reactors was primarily responsible for the
continuing increase in electrical energy produced during this period.
The rate of new reactor constructions essentially halted in the late 1980s.
Increased capacity factor in existing reactors was primarily responsible for the
continuing increase in electrical energy produced during this period.

Electricity generation trends in the top producing countries (Our World in Data)
Electricity generation trends in the top producing countries (Our World in Data)
Fukushima accident

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph
extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator
and on MediaWiki.org.

Graphs are unavailable due to technical issues. Updates on reimplementing the Graph
extension, which will be known as the Chart extension, can be found on Phabricator
and on MediaWiki.org.
Nuclear power generation (TWh) and operational nuclear reactors since 1997[43]
Prospects of a nuclear renaissance were delayed by another nuclear accident.[42]
[44] The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident was caused by the Tōhoku
earthquake and tsunami, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded. The Fukushima
Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant suffered three core meltdowns due to failure of the
emergency cooling system for lack of electricity supply. This resulted in the most
serious nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster.

The accident prompted a re-examination of nuclear safety and nuclear energy policy
in many countries.[45] Germany approved plans to close all its reactors by 2022,
and many other countries reviewed their nuclear power programs.[46][47][48][49]
Following the disaster, Japan shut down all of its nuclear power reactors, some of
them permanently, and in 2015 began a gradual process to restart the remaining 40
reactors, following safety checks and based on revised criteria for operations and
public approval.[50]

In 2022, the Japanese government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Fumio
Kishida, declared that 10 more nuclear power plants were to be reopened since the
2011 disaster.[51] Kishida is also pushing for research and construction of new
safer nuclear plants to safeguard Japanese consumers from the fluctuating price of
the fossil fuel market and reduce Japan's greenhouse gas emissions.[52] Kishida
intends to have Japan become a significant exporter of nuclear energy and
technology to developing countries around the world.[52]