What is the situation regarding nuclear power reactors in the world?
A1. Short Answer: More than 50 years have passed since the operation of the first nuclear power plant in 1954, and during this time nuclear power has become a well established, mature technology. At the end of 2005, there were 443 civilian nuclear power reactors operating in 31 countries around the world. However the pace of constructing new nuclear plants has been slowed down in the past few decades – 26 reactors are in different stages of construction in 11 countries, most of them in Asia (Japan, China, Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Korea and India). Twenty-two of the last 31 reactors to be connected to the grid are also in the Far East and South Asia. By contrast, in Western Europe and North America, nuclear construction has been a frozen playing field – the last plant to be completed being Civaux-2 in France in 1999. However, site preparation began in Finland for the 1600 MW(e) Olkiluoto-3 plant. See IAEA data. Explanation: Nuclear energy supplies 16% of all electricity
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