Today’s chart comes from Reuters and shows the rapid deceleration in nuclear power generation in Japan as the aftermath of the Fukushima tragedy:
For reference, here is worldwide electricity production, as reported by the World Nuclear Association, with the following stats:
- There are now over 440 commercial nuclear power reactors operating in 30 countries, with 377,000 MWe of total capacity.
- They provide about 14% of the world’s electricity as continuous, reliable base-load power, and their efficiency is increasing.
- 56 countries operate a total of about 250 research reactors and a further 180 nuclear reactors power some 140 ships and submarines.
Recently, Japan posted its worst trade deficit on record, mainly because of energy imports, as the huge cost of shutting down its nuclear power industry takes its toll. There have been recent calls to startup the industry again to arrest this decline in the balance of trade – but this macro trend seems entrenched, particularly with Italian governments banning nuclear altogether and the Germans phasing it out.
Meanwhile China has over 20 plants under construction or planned, giving hope to those who are holding radioactive uranium mining stocks here in Australia.