Who is producing, who is consuming?
Nuclear Energy- An Energy Source for Industrialized Countries
09/08/2010
Since it uses cutting edge technology and needs time and significant investment, nuclear energy remains the domain of a small number of countries. Producing countries see it as a means of meeting their growing needs while reducing their carbon emissions. Its expansion hinges on its level of acceptance in industrialized countries.
About Thirty Producing Countries
Nuclear energy - which is mostly consumed in the country where it is produced - requires a high level of technology and significant initial investment. It is therefore currently limited to some thirty highly industrialized countries: Western Europe, Russia, Ukraine, North America, Japan, and China- where work on 13 new reactors started in 2009 and 2010.
Unequal Uranium Reserves in Countries with Varying Levels of Development
Uranium reserves- the resource on which nuclear energy production is based - are located in countries with varying levels of development. In less developed countries, the most frequent scenario is one where companies based in countries that generate nuclear energy (ex. France) operate in partnership with local authorities.
[1] Source: http://www.worldenergy.org/documents/nuclear_6_5.pdf
International Atomic Energy Agency
http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/publications/PDF/RDS1-29_web.pdf
http://www.iaea.org/OurWork/ST/NE/Pess/RDS1_flash_charts.shtml
[2] OECD NEA & IAEA, Uranium 2007: Resources, Production and Demand, http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/default.aspx?id=438&terms=reserves
