Editing Nuclear power (section)

== Production ==
{{Further|Nuclear power by country|List of nuclear reactors}}
[[File:Share of electricity production from nuclear.png|thumb|right|upright=1.6|Share of electricity production from nuclear, 2023<ref>{{cite web |title=Share of electricity production from nuclear |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-electricity-nuclear |website=Our World in Data |access-date=20 June 2024}}</ref>]]
[[File:Nuclear power station.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.6|The status of nuclear power globally (click for legend)]]
{{Latest pie chart of world power by source}}
Civilian nuclear power supplied 2,602 [[terawatt hour]]s (TWh) of electricity in 2023, equivalent to about 9% of [[global electricity generation]],<ref name=PerformanceReport /> and was the second largest [[low-carbon power]] source after [[hydroelectricity]].<ref name="IEA2019">{{Cite web|url=https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2019/may/steep-decline-in-nuclear-power-would-threaten-energy-security-and-climate-goals.html|title=Steep decline in nuclear power would threaten energy security and climate goals|publisher=International Energy Agency|date=2019-05-28|access-date=2019-07-08|archive-date=2019-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012154515/https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2019/may/steep-decline-in-nuclear-power-would-threaten-energy-security-and-climate-goals.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Nuclear power's contribution to global energy production was about 4% in 2023. This is a little more than wind power, which provided 3.5% of global energy in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/energy-consumption-by-source-and-country|title=Energy consumption by source, World|publisher=Our World in Data|access-date=2024-11-10}}</ref> Nuclear power's share of global electricity production has fallen from 16.5% in 1997, in large part because the economics of nuclear power have become more difficult.<ref name=ft-20180903>{{cite news |url=https://www.ft.com/content/fa6ca7ac-ab9a-11e8-89a1-e5de165fa619 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/fa6ca7ac-ab9a-11e8-89a1-e5de165fa619 |archive-date=2022-12-10 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=The challenge for nuclear is to recover its competitive edge |last=Butler |first=Nick |newspaper=Financial Times |date=3 September 2018 |access-date=9 September 2018}}</ref>

{{As of|2024|11|post=,}} there are [[List of nuclear reactors|415 civilian fission reactors in the world]], with a combined electrical capacity of 374 [[gigawatt]] (GW).<ref name=":3" /> There are also 66 nuclear power reactors under construction and 87 reactors planned, with a combined capacity of 72{{nbsp}}GW and 84{{nbsp}}GW, respectively.<ref name="WNA">{{cite web|title=World Nuclear Power Reactors & Uranium Requirements|publisher=World Nuclear Association|url=https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/facts-and-figures/world-nuclear-power-reactors-and-uranium-requireme.aspx|access-date=2024-11-10}}</ref> The United States has the largest fleet of nuclear reactors, generating over 800{{nbsp}}TWh per year with an average [[capacity factor]] of 92%.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=What's the Lifespan for a Nuclear Reactor? Much Longer Than You Might Think|url=https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/whats-lifespan-nuclear-reactor-much-longer-you-might-think|access-date=2020-06-09|website=Energy.gov|language=en|archive-date=2020-06-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609230342/https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/whats-lifespan-nuclear-reactor-much-longer-you-might-think|url-status=live}}</ref> Most reactors under construction are [[generation III reactor]]s in Asia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://pris.iaea.org/PRIS/WorldStatistics/UnderConstructionReactorsByCountry.aspx |title=Under Construction Reactors |publisher=International Atomic Energy Agency |access-date=2019-12-15 |archive-date=2018-11-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122202635/https://pris.iaea.org/PRIS/WorldStatistics/UnderConstructionReactorsByCountry.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

Regional differences in the use of nuclear power are large. The United States produces the most nuclear energy in the world, with nuclear power providing 19% of the electricity it consumes, while France produces the highest percentage of its electrical energy from nuclear reactors{{mdash}}65% in 2023.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://pris.iaea.org/PRIS/WorldStatistics/NuclearShareofElectricityGeneration.aspx|title=Nuclear Share of Electricity Generation in 2023|website=Power Reactor Information System|publisher=International Atomic Energy Agency|access-date=2024-11-11}}</ref> In the [[European Union]], nuclear power provides 22% of the electricity as of 2022.<ref name=WNA-EU>{{Cite web |title=Nuclear Power in the European Union |url=https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/others/european-union |date=2024-08-13 |access-date=2024-11-11 |publisher=World Nuclear Association}}</ref>
Nuclear power is the single largest low-carbon electricity source in the United States,<ref name=issues>{{Cite web|url=https://issues.org/apt-3/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927013232/http://www.issues.org/23.3/apt.html  |title=Promoting Low-Carbon Electricity Production|first1=Jay|last1=Apt|first2=David W.|last2=Keith|first3=M. Granger|last3=Morgan|date=January 1, 1970|archive-date=September 27, 2013}}</ref> and accounts for about half of the European Union's low-carbon electricity.<ref name=WNA-EU /> [[Nuclear energy policy]] differs among European Union countries, and some, such as Austria, [[Estonia]], Ireland and [[Nuclear power in Italy|Italy]], have no active nuclear power stations.

In addition, there were approximately 140 naval vessels using [[nuclear propulsion]] in operation, powered by about 180 reactors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.engineersgarage.com/articles/nuclear-power-plants?page=2 |title=What is Nuclear Power Plant – How Nuclear Power Plants work &#124; What is Nuclear Power Reactor – Types of Nuclear Power Reactors |publisher=EngineersGarage |access-date=2013-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215527/http://www.engineersgarage.com/articles/nuclear-power-plants?page=2 |archive-date=2013-10-04 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Ragheb |first=Magdi |title=Naval Nuclear Propulsion |url=http://www.ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/~ernesto/F2010/EP2/Materials4Students/Misiaszek/NuclearMarinePropulsion.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226055625/http://www.ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/~ernesto/F2010/EP2/Materials4Students/Misiaszek/NuclearMarinePropulsion.pdf |archive-date=2015-02-26 |access-date=2015-06-04 |quote=As of 2001, about 235 naval reactors had been built.}}</ref> These include military and some civilian ships, such as [[nuclear-powered icebreaker]]s.<ref>{{Cite news | url=http://www.bellona.org/english_import_area/international/russia/civilian_nuclear_vessels/icebreakers/30131 |title=Nuclear Icebreaker Lenin |publisher=Bellona |date=2003-06-20 |access-date=2007-11-01 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071015031630/http://www.bellona.org/english_import_area/international/russia/civilian_nuclear_vessels/icebreakers/30131 |archive-date=October 15, 2007 }}</ref>

International research is continuing into additional uses of process heat such as [[hydrogen production]] (in support of a [[hydrogen economy]]), for [[desalination|desalinating]] sea water, and for use in [[district heating]] systems.<ref>{{cite book |title=Non-electric Applications of Nuclear Power: Seawater Desalination, Hydrogen Production and other Industrial Applications |date=2007 |publisher=International Atomic Energy Agency |isbn=978-92-0-108808-6 |url=https://www.iaea.org/publications/7979/non-electric-applications-of-nuclear-power-seawater-desalination-hydrogen-production-and-other-industrial-applications |access-date=21 August 2018 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327040900/https://www.iaea.org/publications/7979/non-electric-applications-of-nuclear-power-seawater-desalination-hydrogen-production-and-other-industrial-applications |url-status=live }}</ref>