Nuclear Power

In News

• Germany has switched off its three remaining nuclear power plants as part of a long-planned transition toward renewable energy.

Timeline for the Transition of Germany

• Followed by the disasters like at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima Germany faced decades of anti-nuclear protests which pressured successive governments to end the use of a technology.
• During the Chernobyl reactor accident, Germany was hit by radioactive fallout. A reactor accident would make large parts of the country uninhabitable. Also, radioactive waste management is still unsolved in Germany.
• In light of this in 2011, the nuclear phase-out law was passed with a broad, nonpartisan majority.
• As energy prices spiked last year due to the war in Ukraine, the closing of the nuclear plants as planned on Dec. 31, 2022 was extended and the final shutdown happened on April 15.
• The European country is focused on building out its wind and solar energy production. By 2030, Germany aims to generate 80 percent of its electricity from renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

Global Scenario of Nuclear Power Generation

• The first commercial nuclear power stations started operation in the 1950s.
• Nuclear energy now provides about 10% of the world’s electricity from about 440 power reactors.
• Nuclear is the world’s second largest source of low-carbon power (26% of the total in 2020). 
• Over 50 countries utilize nuclear energy in about 220 research reactors. In addition to research, these reactors are used for the production of medical and industrial isotopes, as well as for training.