North America

‘Hard Times': There is only one nuclear power plant in Mexico . No new commercial reactors have come on line in the United States since Watts Bar 1 in 1996. The Monthly Energy Review reports that there were 112 operable commercial nuclear reactors in the United States in 1990, but only 104 now. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's ( NRC ) web site does not list any new applications for construction permits. It has been even longer since a brand new reactor came on line in Canada. Darlington unit 4 in Newcastle Township, Ontario, went on line in April 1993.

On the Other Hand: According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, nuclear's share of total electricity generation in 2003 was 5.2 percent in Mexico, 12.5 percent in Canada, and 19.9 percent in the United States. Although Mexico's nuclear industry has the least capacity and output of the three, a market share of 5 percent in a country with vast fossil resources is fairly impressive: especially, when one considers that this was accomplished by two relatively small reactors. For Mexico's citizens, perhaps the greatest benefit is not the electricity itself, but the fact that nuclear power burns cleanly, not adding significantly to emissions levels. Canada is not building new reactors in Canada, but it is rebuilding and returning to service existing reactors. Also, there is an international market for Canada’s CANDU reactor. (Two such reactors were recently completed in China.) EIA's nuclear timeline shows that much is happening north of the U.S. border. U.S. nuclear power plants topped 700 billion kilowatts of generation in 2000 to establish a world record (eclipsing the 1999 record, also set by the United States). A third consecutive record came in 2001 and the current record, set in 2002. In November 2004, the Energy Information Administration released its latest projections in the Short Term Energy Outlook (STEO). According to Table 10a. U.S. Electricity Supply and Demand: Base Case, the STEO projects that nuclear power will supply 790.6 billion kilowatthours of electricity in 2004. Preliminary data for 2004 supports that projection. Two consortiums have submitted early site permit applications to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to study the feasibility of building new reactors and bringing them on line. EIA's unique reactors feature mentions plans by the Japanese company, Mitsubishi, to build a new reactor in Alaska. In Alaska, it was announced that an application will be submitted to the NRC to build this reactor. And the newest old reactor is expected to come on line by 2007. The Tennessee Valley Authority announced that it is rebuilding and planning to restart Brown's Ferry unit 1 , a reactor that has not operated since 1985.

Europe

‘Hard Times': With strong anti-nuclear movements in Europe given fresh incentive by the Chernobyl disaster, many European nuclear industries have struggled just to survive. Sweden , Germany and Belgium have announced plans to shut down their nuclear industries. Spain considered shutting down its own nuclear industry, although this now appears unlikely. Tiny Lithuania is the most nuclear-dependent country in the world, relying on nuclear power for 79.9 percent of its electricity in 2003.the nation's only nuclear plant. But the European Union has insisted on the closing of Ignalina, the nation's only nuclear power plant. The shutdown of unit one has already begun (as noted in EIA's nuclear timeline ). Even nuclear-friendly France has not announced any new reactors within its borders in this century.

On the Other Hand: Finland approved a new reactor: the first to be approved in Europe this century. The Council of Ministers in Poland concluded that renewables alone could not meet anticipated electricity demand and decided a new nuclear power plant is necessary. France has built a pair of reactors in China and is planning to build more there. Meanwhile, nuclear power supplies about 80 percent of the country's electricity. Germany is going very slowly on its plans to dismantle the nuclear industry. A killer heat wave in 2003 is one reason (but not the only one) that countries with large nuclear industries are re-considering whether alternatives to nuclear will be sufficient to supply demand (especially, in a crisis). And before nuclear industries are dismantled, alternative sources of energy need to be developed. Replacing nuclear will not be easy in Germany, where nuclear output accounted for 28 percent of electricity generation in 2003, or Sweden (49.6 percent of electricity supply), or Belgium (55.5 percent) or even Spain, where nuclear power accounts for only 23.6 percent. In France, where nuclear power constituted 77.7 percent of the electricity market in 2003, the nuclear industry probably does not feel immediately threatened by competition.

Asia

‘Hard Times': The Asian continent had seemed to be THE bull market for nuclear, but there is some concern that the reality might not match the hype. With very enthusiastic government support, Japan developed the largest commercial nuclear industry in Asia. Several accidents have raised local concerns about further expansion of this industry (although the sole accident in which life was lost, did not occur at or near a nuclear reactor). Taiwan's outgoing government viewed nuclear powerplants as essential to the nation's security, but the incoming government has delayed work on the Lungmen nuclear plant and does not plan any new plants. North Korea continues to wait for construction of the world's most-debated nuclear plant.

On the Other Hand: The China Nuclear Industry supplies less than 5 percent on China's electricity, but nuclear power is expected to have a significant impact on the world's fastest-growing economy. Nine commercial reactors have come on line in China since 1991, but China has announced a plan to substantially accelerate its current rapid pace. It China's plan is successful, it will more than double EIA'S projected capacity of 16 megawatts(electric) by 2010.

Everywhere Else in the World

‘Hard Times': In South America, only two countries have nuclear power plants: Argentina and Brazil. Embalse, the second reactor constructed in Argentina went on line in 1984. The Atucha 2 reactor, originally scheduled for 1998, remains unfinished. If and when it is completed, there are no plans to build any more. Brazil's Angra 3 unit seems to always be pending a decision: it's never been cancelled, but it never seems to move closer significantly closer to completion. On the African continent, there are only two commercial reactors: Koeberg 1 and 2 in South Africa . There has been much discussion of building new reactors in Africa, but as of December 31, 2004, no new reactors have been announced. One U.S. firm expressed interest in building a Pebble Bed (PBMR) reactor, a South African design, but the prototype is still under development and the U.S. company appears to have lost interest. Australia has a uranium industry, but the island continent is not planning to build or buy commercial reactors.