In the world there are about 30 countries that have nuclear energy plants. But how many nuclear reactors are in the world? There are more than 400 nuclear reactors that supply approximately 11% of the electricity consumed on the planet. Energy is an essential factor for the well -being of the human being and sustainable economic development, which is why it is committed to nuclear energy because it is cleaner than others, however, it also has its great disadvantages.
If you want to know How many nuclear plants are in the worldcontinues to read this interesting ecology article in which they will also explain what exactly nuclear centrals are and more details.
What are nuclear centrals
Nuclear plants or plants are industrial facilities in which generates electrical energy from thermal energy which has been produced thanks to nuclear fission reactions that occur in a nuclear reactor. He nuclear reactor It is the main component of a central, since this is where nuclear fuel is deposited and, in addition, this has systems that make it possible to initiate, maintain and stop, in a controlled way, the nuclear fission reactions that release a large amount of thermal energy.
The thermal energy that is released is used to heat water until it is converted into steam at high temperature and pressure. The steam feeds a turbine, turning it and it is connected to a generator that transforms the mechanical energy produced by the turning of the turbine into electrical energy.
In this other article you can know much more about what nuclear energy is and how it works and in this other and in the video below you will know the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy.
How many nuclear centrals are around the world
You’ve ever won, What are the countries with the greatest number of nuclear plants? Rather than asking us the number of nuclear plants and what are the countries with the greatest number of plants, it would be more suitable to ask about the number of nuclear reactors, since the same nuclear power plant can have more than one reactor. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (OIEA) it is estimated that the figure of how many nuclear reactors are in the world is More than 400 operational nuclear reactors.
Is USA who heads the list with 93 Nuclear reactors And France follows with 56, there are also 55 nuclear reactors in China, occupying this third place among countries with the greatest nuclear reactors in the world.
If we follow the list are 37 nuclear reactors in Russia, 25 nuclear reactors in Korea, 19 nuclear reactors in India and Canada and 15 nuclear reactors in Ukrain. The rest of the countries have less than 15 reactors and many of them such as, for example, Slovenia or Iran, among others, only have one. It should be added that, in addition to operational reactors, many countries are building new reactors.
What is the largest nuclear power plant
The world’s largest nuclear power plant is Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant located in Japanin the Niigata Prefecture, exactly in the city of Kashiwazaki. This has 420 hectares, has 7 reactors, 2 ABWR types and 5 BWR type, generating approximately 8,0000 MW. This amount of energy supplies more than 15 million people. However, this central was closed in 2011 and is currently inactive, despite having wanted to be reactivated.
How many nuclear centrals are in Europe
In Europe 13 of the 27 countries that make up the Member States have nuclear centrals. In total it has 170 active nuclear reactors and 12 under constructionwhich supply approximately 26% of the total electricity consumed throughout the European Union per year. Countries like France and Slovakia are those that are building such nuclear reactors.
France is the country in Europe with the highest number of nuclear reactorsproducing 78% of its electricity, follows Slovakia and Ukraine, producing 54% of nuclear origin. Behind we find Hungary and Belgium, with 49% and 47% respectively. Finally it is Sweden with 34%.
How many nuclear centrals are in Spain
In Spain there are 5 nuclear centrals in operation and these are located in 5 different locations. In two of the nuclear centrals are two reactors, so Spain has a total of 7 nuclear reactors. The nuclear power plants that have two reactors are the Almaraz nuclear power plant, in Cáceres, and the Ascó nuclear power plant in Tarragona, which you can see in this image.
How many nuclear centrals are in France
France is the European country that presents the greatest dependence on nuclear energy and has 56 active nuclear reactors distributed among their 19 nuclear centralsamong all supply approximately 78% of electricity, but not only meets the country’s electrical needs.
France, within European countries, is the main nuclear energy exporter. One of the reasons why France invests in nuclear energy is due to the scarcity of other energy resources such as gas, coal or oil.
Now that you know how many nuclear plants are in the world, if you want to learn more about nuclear energy, we recommend you read other articles such as:
- 10 examples of nuclear energy.
- Is nuclear energy renewable?
- How nuclear energy affects the environment and the human being.
If you want to read more articles similar to How many nuclear plants are in the worldwe recommend that you enter our category of non -renewable energy.
- CSN (Nuclear Safety Council). The functioning of nuclear plants: https://www.csn.es/documes/10182/914805/el+function of+S+las+Central+ Nuclear
- Ministry for ecological transition and demographic challenge. Nuclear centrals in the world: https://energia.gob.es/nuclear/centrales/mundo/paginas/centrales_mundo.aspx